Telecommunications has been an important part of our culture since the invention of the telegraph in the 1800s. It started as a form of long distance communication. The telegraph provided a way to send messages to people far away, that was faster than sending mail. Over the course of the last century, telecommunications has taken on a whole new purpose and plays a much bigger role in our everyday lives.
Radio
According to WCBN, Guglielmo Marconi built his first radio equipment in 1894, and established the world’s first radio link in 1899 between England and France. Radio was the first form of telecommunication that served multiple purposes. It provided radio plays and music for entertainment, and newscasts with up-to-date news and information from around the world. With the invention and evolution of television, however, public radio has struggled to remain relevant. Like the newspaper industry versus on-line content, public radio can’t compete with the immediacy of the sights and sounds of television.
Telephone
Since the invention of the telephone, devices have dramatically evolved from relatively primitive tools of communication to state-of-the-art mobile multi-communications sources. Gardiner Hubbard formed the first telephone company, the Bell Telephone Company, in 1877. Today the telephone as evolved into the cell phone and is a one-stop hub for all of our communication needs. Cell phones allow you to connect with people on the phone while you stay on the go.
Television
According to The History of Television, a German man named Paul Gottlieb Nipkow developed one of the earliest forms of television. As it continued to evolve, there were two different versions being developed: a mechanical version and an electrical version. The mechanical version would eventually be phased out by the electrical. The electrical version was perfected by a 21-year-old inventor named Philo T. Farnsworth in 1927. Over the years, television has become a giant media empire. In the year 2009 alone, ABC saw revenue of $10.6 Billion.
Internet
In 1966, a man named Lawrence G. Roberts began developing the idea for an interconnected computer network. According to the Internet Society, it was in October of 1995 that the Federal Networking Council passed a resolution that defined the Internet as “a global information system that is logically linked together by a globally unique address based on the Internet Protocol.” The Internet provides you with the opportunity to fulfill all of your communication needs. You can visit sites and listen to the radio, watch your favorite television shows and movies,n chat with people in a live video chat and stay connected with relatives via email. With the Internet, people in the world are more connected than ever.