Week one presentation for Talking and Beyond class. This includes a history of communications technology. Very general look.

1. Communications
A look back

2. Background
• Communications is the act of conveying
information using exchange of thoughts,
messages or information, using speech,
visuals, signals, writing or behavior.
• This presentation traces communications
from the past to about 2000. Our class will
take it from there.

3. Cave paintings
• Prior to about 3500 BC

4. Hieroglyphic writing
• Around 3500 BC
• Egyptians and Sumerians

5. On foot
• 490 BC, Phidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to
warm the Athenians of the approaching Persian army.
Apparently, he died from the strain.
• Foot would remain important for communication, using
horses during Roman times (14AD), Kublai Khan times
(1280 AD) and our Pony Express (1861 AD)

6. Metal mirrors & the Sun
• Around 26-37 AD, Roman Emperor
Tiberius rules empire by signaling with
polished metal to reflect the sun.

7. Paper!
• In 751, Paper is introduced, using wood
pulp.
• In 1844, Charles Fenerty produces paper
from wood pulp.

8. Printing
• 1305 Chinese develop wooden block
movable type printing
• 1450 Johannes Gutenberg creates metal
moveable type printing press

9. Telegraph from tower to electric
• 1792 Claude Chappe establishes first long distance
semaphore telegraph line (uses towers to send
visual signals)
• 1831 Joseph Henry builds electric telegraph

10. Morse code and long distance
• 1835 Samuel Morse develops Morse Code
• 1843 Morse builds long distance electric
telegraph

11. Electric telephone
• 1876 Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas
Watson create electric telephone line

12. Phonograph
• 1877 Thomas Edison patents phonograph

13. Radio signals for communication
• 1901 Guglielmo Marconi transmits radio
signals

14. First television signal
• 1925 John Logie Baird transmits first
television signal. During World War 2, he
developed the first color picture tube.

15. Beginning of cell phone technology
• 1947 Douglas H. Ring and W. Rae Young
of Bell Labs proposed a cell based approach
to technology which would lead to cell
phones.

16. First copying machine
• 1958 Chester Carlson presents first
photocopier suitable for office use

17. Internet ancestors
• 1969 First hosts of ARPANET (Internet
ancestors) are connected

18. WWW (World Wide Web)
• 1989 Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailiau
build prototype for World Wide Web at
CERN

19. First Text Message
• 1992 Neil Papworth sends first SMS (or text
message)

20. Digital Satellite
• 2001 first digital cinema transmission by
satellite

21. Communication Technology today:
• Websites
• Blogs
• Email
• Discussion groups
• Chat
• Instant messaging
• SMS (Text messaging)
• Social networks
• Tweeting
• Video conferencing
• Voice messaging

22. Discussion questions
• Which type of communication mentioned
do you feel is the most important for
personal use? Business use?
• What are some of the advantages of the
increasing types of communication
available?
• What are some disadvantages of these
options?