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3200 BCE
Writing
A complete written language was first invented in Mesopotamia. The importance of such a feat is perhaps the most important of all: written language is how we efficiently and accurately pass down information of all sorts from one generation to the next.
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2400 BCE
Paper and Papyrus
Prior to the use of paper and papyrus as a median for writings, heavier and more cumbersome materials such as stone and wood were used for the canvas. Such materials made travel difficult, hindering the spread of written knowledge. This hurdle was overcome with paper, which is light and easily transported across wide travels, allowing for the easier knowledge diffusion. -
404 BCE
Historical Method
While history had been recorded for about as long as a written system had existed, Thucydides is believed to be the first man to approach history as a science in his work History of the Peloponnesian War, observing how and why the war came to pass beyond the actions of gods. In other words, he set the first precedent for history accounts as we know them today. -
Jan 1, 1440
Printing Press
Publication before the invention of the printing press was a long and arduous process, meaning that there were few actual copies of any given text in circulation. The printing press, which was invented by Gutenburg in 1440, exponentially increased the speed at which texts could be produced, effectively increasing the supply, decreasing the cost and thus making the availability of texts vastly greater.
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Typewriter
Much like the invention of the printing press, though to a lesser extent, the creation of the typewriter exponentially expedited the process of generating written texts for the process of typing, once learned, is significantly faster than that of writing with a quill/pencil. Due to its ease of use and speed, the world of writing became less exclusive, giving anyone with the money to buy a typewriter the power of the written word via pamphlets, papers, fliers and the like. -
Film
Though only a shadow of what it is today, film was invented during the 1890s. Its development eventually led to a new form of recorded history beyond just the written word: visual images and later sound. This new medium expanded the possibilities of recording an event immensely, allowing historians to revisit past events and create ever newer ideas and interpretations about how and why those events occurred in a way that text can never achieve. -
World Wide Web
Perhaps the invention with the greatest impact on humanity, and certainly in our life time, is the world wide web. The proto-type that would eventually evolve into the internet as we know it today was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in the 1980s via his research at the CERNs in Switzerland. Its effect on the way in which humanity lives today is ever expanding, with many of the things we do daily linked to it. The field of history is no exception, expanding history to anyone with a computer. -
Online Learning
Although this invention is still very much in development, online education is likely to change the very core of how we learn and educate our people in the near future. Courses from the most basic of subjects to the highest of college classes are being made available online, accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Because of this, the ability to acquire a greater education and the possibilities that arise from that are about to become far more democratic.
