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32,984 BCE
Indonesian Cave Paintings
These are the believed to be some of the earliest cave paintings, from over 35,000 years ago. These drawings were found in the vast caves on the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia. This shows humans were documenting events/animals. (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685/) -
28,000 BCE
European Cave Paintings
Once thought to be the oldest cave paintings, the representation of predators within the Chauvet Caves in France show humans communicating with vivid drawings. (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685/) -
6600 BCE
Jiahu Symbols
During the Bronze age, the first accounts of written record are noted. The invention of writing was not a one-time event, but a gradual process initiated by the appearance of symbols. The Jiahu symbols are one of the earliest records of writing with pictures. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiahu_symbols) -
1200 BCE
The Iron Age
For civilizations that had not begun writing during the Bronze Age, most began to do so during the Iron Age. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_writing#Bronze_Age_writing) -
776 BCE
Messenger Pigeons
The ancient Romans first used pigeons during chariot races. The birds would be used to communicate to the owners as to how their entries had placed. (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/30/style/the-hallowed-history-of-the-carrier-pigeon.html) -
300 BCE
Marathon Men
In Ancient Greece, men ran from town to town to communicate messages. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_gallery_03.shtml) -
1452
The Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg creates the first printing press with movable metal type. The printed press multiplied the output and cut the costs of books. At the time, only the very rich knew how to read. However, with the influx of books, literacy of lay people improved and an "information revolution" began. (http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/press.html) -
1540
The Town Crier
During the Middle Ages in England, town criers had the very important job of informing the townspeople of the latest news, proclamations, bylaws and any other important information. At this time, most of the common people were illiterate and relied on the town crier for information. (http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Town-Crier/) -
Newspapers
"The first newspapers appeared in Germany in 1609. They distinguished themselves from other printed material by being published on a regular basis. They reported on a variety of current events to a broad public audience. Within a few decades, newspapers could be found in all the major cities." (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/1998/02/11/a-history-of-newspaper-gutenbergs-press-started-a-revolution/2e95875c-313e-4b5c-9807-8bcb031257ad/?utm_term=.5b5cca028517) -
Modern Mail
A French man named De Valayer established a postal system in Paris. He set up mailboxes and delivered any letters placed in them with a prepaid stamp. (https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-mail-1992142) -
The Magazine
The “periodical of amusement” was created by French writer and playwright Jean Donneau de Vizé. The publication contained news, songs, short verses and gossip. Despite being disparaged by other writers of the day for its amusing rather than intellectual content, the periodical became very popular in France. (https://www.magazines.com/history-of-magazines) -
The United States Postal Service
Established by the U.S. Constitution, Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general of the U.S. Postal Service, established in 1775. With the establishment of this organization, Franklin made radical improvements that allowed for reliable communication across the country. (https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-mail-1992142) -
Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
Samuel L. Morse invented the telegraph instrument in 1832. Within ten years, over 20,000 miles of telegraph cable connected people within the United States.In 1854, Cyrus West Field had the idea of laying a line across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean and it was completed in 1858. This allowed for swift communication between countries separated by the Atlantic Ocean. (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-transatlantic-telegraph-cable-completed) -
Two Way Radios
Radios began to appear on ships at sea. This reduced the isolation of the ships and improved both reliability and safety. (https://transition.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/documents/short_history.pdf) -
Radio Shows
Reginald Fessenden is the transmits a program of speech and music using a radio. A new form of entertainment and media is form, the radio show. (https://transition.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/documents/short_history.pdf) -
Broadcast TV
Transmissions of fuzzy images of wrestling, music and dance to a handful of screen occured in the early 1930s. However, at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, RCA unveiled their new NBC TV studios in Rockefeller Plaza. The network television was introduced and regular programming began. (http://www.emmytvlegends.org/resources/tv-history) -
News on TV
In 1949, a young girl named Kathy Fiscus fell into a Los Angeles-area well. Television provided continuous local coverage for over 27 hours. The unfolding tragedy proved that live television news coverage could not only inform, but also unite a community. (http://www.emmytvlegends.org/resources/tv-history) -
Email
At a trade conference, a demonstration was given showing electronic mail. Within the next few years, the concept was expanded. From there email took off as the largest network application for over a decade. This was the beginning of activity on the World Wide Web today, and "people-to-people" interaction on computers. (http://www.internetsociety.org/internet/what-internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet#Origins) -
Personal Computer Programming
For the first time in history, people began "talking" with computers. A company called Micro Instrumentation & Telemetry Systems hired Harvard students named Paul G. Allen and Bill Gates to adapt a programming language for their "computer". This made the computer easier to use, and it was a hit. In April 1975 the two young programmers took the money they made from “Altair BASIC” and formed a company of their own—Microsoft. (http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/invention-of-the-pc) -
Cell Phone
Martin Cooper developed the first cell phone approved for commercial use. (http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1636836_1389498,00.html) -
Internet in Your Pocket
The first phones with internet capabilities hit the mainstream market. People were now able to communicate using a phone and the internet with one device that they were able to fit into their pockets (or large bags, at least). (https://www.brightcove.com/en/blog/2009/03/first-internet-phone-circa-1996) -
America Online
Before AOL's Instant Messaging, the only way to communicate with people via the internet was through email. AIM allowed people to speak in real time to one another, which was groundbreaking. -
Blogging
Hurricane Bonnie by Jonathan Dube for the Charlotte Observer becomes the blog on a traditional news site. Political blogs were some of the most popular early blogs. In-depth topic blogs were also becoming more popular during this time. They often delved much deeper into current news and pop culture than mainstream media sources, in addition to commenting directly on what traditional media was reporting. (https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/03/a-brief-history-of-blogging/) -
Social Media
Social networking began with sites like SixDegrees, Friendster, LinkedIn, Myspace, and eventually Facebook. This communication was unique because there was no real content of these sites. The sole purpose is person to person communication. (https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/) -
The "Share Button"
WordPress adapted the "Share Button" for users to link others with articles on the site. Since then, almost every website as adapted their version of the "Share Button". This is a very common means of spreading information on the internet. -
Texting
Borrowed from concepts like AIM online. Communication via text messaging becomes the popular mode of communication. (http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1636836_1389509,00.html)
