Defining Communication as Process
The Accelerating Pace of
Communication Innovation
3000+ BC | Sumerians and Phoenicians invent writing. | 1936 | London Television Service begins regular broadcasts. |
900 | China institutes world’s first postal service. | 1963 | First communications satellite launched. |
776 | Homing pigeons deliver news from Olympic Games to Athens. | 1969 | ARPANET (Internet’s forerunner) established. |
300 | World’s first great library established in Alexandria, Egypt. | 1972 | First e-mail sent using @ in address. |
200 | Fire signals and human messengers relay messages across Egypt and China. | 1973 | First cell phone call. |
105 AD | Paper invented in China. | 1975 | World’s first microcomputer, the Altair 8800, goes on sale. |
868 | First surviving printed book (China). | 1981 | IBM announces the its first Personal Computer. |
1450 | Printing press with moveable metal type makes mass communication possible. | 1992 | First text message sent. |
1605 | First newspaper printed in Germany. | 1994 | Personal blogging begins. |
1620 | Spain develops sign language. | 1996 | Instant Messaging developed. |
1843 | Long-distance electric telegraph begins. | 1997 | SixDegrees.com the first social network, becomes available. |
1876 | Telephone first demonstrated. | 2005 | YouTube.com appears online. |
1920 | First commercial radio broadcast. | 2006 | Twitter launches. |
| | 2009 | Smartphone sales top 170 million units. |
| | 2010 | iPad enhances mobile computing and communication. |
Source: Alusine M. Kanu in Pearson, J.C. et al. (2011). Human Communication, New York: McGraw Hill.