History of Communication

 The Origin of Communication

Although the very first means of conversing with friends, family, acquaintances or simply any relation was through word of mouth meaning your voice. It was not until 3200 BC that writing was invented in Iraq and Egypt and about 1500 BC in China. Other American civilizations like the Mayans also came forward with their individual writing systems. In 1600 BC the alphabet was invented in present-day Israel and Lebanon. The postal system was another means of relaying messages via horses throughout the empires such as in Assyria, Persia, Rome, China and Egypt. Before the Chinese developed paper in 200 BC, many people made do with papyrus or even parchment to write short notes as communication strategies. This paper-making knowledge was thus passed to Arabs in the Middle Ages and then to Europeans. 

Communication Timeline:

• 1500-1800

Even though the Chinese invented printing in the 6th century AD, the first printed book was Diamond Sutra in 686. In Europe, in the mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. Now books were cheaper and even newspapers could be invented. William Caxton introduced the printing press into England in 1476. The very first newspapers were printed in the 16th century but the first successful daily newspaper was printed in Britain in 1702. Postal services by European monarchs were set to carry any royal messages. In France Louis XI founded one in 1477 and in England Henry VIII created the Royal Mail in 1512. The pencil was invented later in 1564. 

• During the 19th Century

At this time it was the recipient of the letter that had to pay the postage instead of the sender. However, after 1840 when Rowland Hill created the Penny Post, the sender had to pay and not the receiver. In 1874 the Universal Postal Union was established to connect the postal services of different countries in the world. The telegraph was invented in 1837 and the first fax machine in 1843. A Scot, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. The first successful typewriter went on sale in 1874.

• During the 20th Century

Radio broadcasting began in Britain when the BBC was formed in 1922 and by 1933 half of the households in the country had a radio set. Independent radio stations were then formed in 1972 after the Sound Broadcasting Act. Television was invented in 1925 by John Logie Baird but got suspended in Britain due to the chaos of World War II. However, it was re-introduced in 1946. The popularity of T.V grew in the 1950s and by 1964 about 90% of the households owned a T.V set as it became the main form of entertainment, surpassing even the cinema. Meanwhile, commercial TV began in the USA in 1941. TV began in Australia in 1956 and in New Zealand in 1960. Meanwhile, in 1960 the first communications satellite, Echo was launched. The laser printer was invented by Gary Starkweather in 1969.

• During the 21st Century

In the early 21st century, the internet and emails were the major forms of communication. The various social networking apps offer both professional and private communication.