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Category Archives: This day in information
“What Has God Wrought?”: A Love Story
Today in 1844, Samuel Morse sent the the message “What Has God Wrought” to officially open the first telegraph line, between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, launching an industry and ending a rocky journey that began with the 1837 resolution by the U.S. … Continue reading
New York Public Library Dedicated
Today in 1911, the New York Public Library was officially dedicated. The ceremony was presided over by President William Howard Taft and was attended by Governor John Alden Dix and Mayor William J. Gaynor. The following morning, New York’s very public … Continue reading
Posted in Libraries, This day in information
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Moving Pictures by Phone
Today in 1924, AT&T demonstrated long distance telephotography, now known as fax, with the transmission of pictures over telephone wires between Cleveland and New York. Commercial service began in a handful of cities the following year. For many decades, telephotography … Continue reading
Posted in Photography, Telephone, This day in information
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International Telegraph Union (ITU) Established
Today in 1865, the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris by the 20 founding members, and the International Telegraph Union (ITU) was established to facilitate subsequent amendments to this initial agreement. Today, the ITU is the leading United Nations agency … Continue reading
First Regularly Scheduled U.S. Airmail Service
Today in 1918, the first regularly scheduled airmail service in the United States was inaugurated over a route between Washington, DC, and New York City with an intermediate stop in Philadelphia, PA.
AIEE (IEEE) Established
Today in 1884, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was established in New York. The small group of men participating in the first meeting, a cross section of the electrical experts of the era, were responding to Nathaniel S. Keith’s call to organize … Continue reading
The Dvorak Keyboard: Network Effect or Market Efficiency?
Today in 1936, U.S. patent No. 2,040,248 was issued to August Dvorak and William Dealey for their keyboard layout design, later to be commonly known as the Dvorak keyboard. Wikipedia: “A discussion of the Dvorak layout is sometimes used as an … Continue reading
National Gallery Opens
Today in 1824, The National Gallery opened to the public. It houses the UK’s national collection of Western European painting from the 13th to the 19th centuries. A complete list of the 2300 paintings is available online.
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The Best and Worst of Moving Pictures
One hundred and twenty years ago today (May 9, 1893), Thomas Edison presented the Kinetoscope, the first film-viewing device, at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. The first film publicly shown on the system was Blacksmith Scene, the earliest known example of actors … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Social Impact, Television, This day in information
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The Victorian World Wide Web
Today in 1851, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, opened in London. It was the first in a series of World’s Fair exhibitions continuing to the present day. Burton Benedict writes in The Anthropology of World’s Fairs, … Continue reading
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The Story of Information 