Media History

Looking Back at Media

Every now and then it’s a good idea to look back and see how far media has come. Here’s a list of some of the more memorable moments through the 19^th Century:

3100 B.C. – Sumerian “writing” system on clay tablets

2000 B.C. – Phoenician alphabet

1900-1800 B.C. – Semitic alphabet in Egypt

540 B.C. – Public library in Athens

105 A.D. – Chinese paper (didn’t arrive in West for centuries)

1450 – Gutenberg press (leads to Protestant Revolution, among other things)

1665 – Oxford Gazette (first English-language newspaper) in England

1704 – First successful American newspaper: The Boston News-Letter

1827 – First African-American newspaper in U.S.: Freedom’s Journal

1828 – First Native American newspaper in U.S.: Cherokee Phoenix

1844 – Samuel Morse granted patent for telegraph. First message, May 24: “What hath God wrought?”  Second message: “Have you any news?”

1848 – Associated Press founded

1877 – Thomas Edison invents the “talking machine”

Thank you University of Idaho for this list.