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Author Archives: GilPress
Earliest Works of Art
“Ice Age Art [at the British Museum, February 7 – may 26, 2013] is less an archaeological exhibition than an exploration of the human search for and expression of meaning. For example, many of the human figures on show are female—nudes made … Continue reading
Posted in Archeology, Art, Ice Age
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The Telegraph Request for Proposal
Today in 1837, The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution requesting the Treasury Secretary, Levi Woodbury, to report to the House at its next session, “upon the propriety of establishing a system of telegraphs for the United States.” Richard John in Network … Continue reading
Posted in Telegraph, This day in information
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Our Flexible Memories: Forgetting the Useless And Remembering Other People’s Experiences
“…selective forgetting of the useless is as important as selective remembering of the useful. And much of this winnowing takes place during sleep, as two papers in this week’s Nature Neuroscience observe… the process of sleep acts as a form … Continue reading
Posted in Information Overload, Memory, Quotes
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Why Does Timbuktu Matter?
“Timbuktu sits on the edge of Saharan desert. It was a trading entrepôt in the age when the camel was the only means of transport and it became a centre of commerce in the region; trade in books come to … Continue reading
Posted in Knowledge compilations, Libraries, Preservation
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IBM and The First Social Security Check
Today in 1940, Ida M. Fuller became the first person to receive an old-age monthly benefit check under the new Social Security law. Her first check, dated January 31, was for $22.54. The Social Security Act was signed into law by Franklin … Continue reading
“I’m the Oldest Criminal in History”: Why the Cash Register Was Invented
Today in 1883, James Ritty, a saloonkeeper in Dayton, Ohio, and John Birch received a patent (No. 271,363) for the first cash register, nicknamed the “Incorruptible Cashier.” There was a bell to ring up sales, referred to in advertising as “The Bell Heard … Continue reading
Posted in Automation, Retail, This day in information
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First Librarian of Congress Takes Office
Today in 1802, John J. Beckley became the first Librarian of the U.S. Congress. Beckley is also considered the first political campaign manager in the U.S. The Library of Congress was established less than two years earlier by an act of Congress. In 1996, … Continue reading
Posted in Libraries, Library of Congress
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The Public Switched Telephone Network Born
Today in 1878, the first commercial switchboard began operating in New Haven, Connecticut. It served 21 telephones on 8 lines consequently with many people on a party line. On February 17, Western Union opened the first large city exchange in San Francisco. … Continue reading
Posted in Telephone, This day in information
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Creating the Public Image of Computers: IBM’s SSEC
Today in 1948, IBM’s Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator (SSEC) was announced and demonstrated to the public.“The most important aspect of the SSEC,” according to Brian Randell in the Origins of Digital Computers, “was that it could perform arithmetic on, and … Continue reading
Posted in Computer history, IBM, Libraries, Social Impact
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First Television Demo
Today in 1926, John Logie Baird conducted the first public demonstration of a television system that could broadcast live moving images with tone graduation. Two days later, The Times of London wrote: “Members of the Royal Institution and other visitors … Continue reading
Posted in Television
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The Story of Information 