The history of communication dates back to the earliest signs of life. Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. On a much shorter scale, there have been major developments in the field telecommunication.

Communication between animals

Communication between humans

• 200,000 BC: FOXP2 - gene that allowed better communication between humans
• symbols
  • 30,000 BC: first symbols: cave paintings
  • 10,000 BC: petroglyphs
• history of writing
  • 9,000 BC: pictographs, ideographs
  • 3,500 BC: writing systems
    • history of alphabet

The advent of mass communication

• mass communication

The expansion of telecommunication

History of writing tools

Text editing and storage

• 3000 BC: papyrus
• 59 BC: first book, Acta Diurna ordered by Julius Caesar
• 100 AD: paper
• 1000 AD: pens, first Chineese printing presses (Pi Sheng)
• 1400 AD: first European printing presses (Gutenberg)
• 1500 AD: pencils
• 1800s: typewriter
• 1960s: computers and text editors (TECO, TJ-2)

Distance communication

• optical signals - fires, smoke signals
  • 490 BC: heliograph
  • 1790 AD: semaphore
• sound signals - drums
• 1400 AD: couriers, first postal systems
• 1838 AD: telegraph
• 1848 AD: telephone
• 1896 AD: radio
• 1897 AD: computer
• 1927 AD: television
• 1969 AD: computer networking
  • 1983 AD: Internet

References

• Piotr Konieczny, Komunikacja: od mowy do Internetu, Histmag #49, article in Polish

Communication | History by topic