This document provides an overview of fiber optic communications and the evolution of communication technologies over time. It discusses: - How fiber optic communication systems use lightwaves in the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit information via guided media like fiber optics cables. - The historical progression of communication technologies from the telegraph in 1830 to microwave systems in the 1940s-1950s and the development of laser and optical fibers in the 1960s that enabled modern fiber optic communication networks. - Key advancements in fiber optic systems over time, including earlier systems in the 1980s operating near 800nm and 1.3um wavelengths, and later systems in the 1990s operating at 1.55um with higher data rates and transmission distances enabled by optical