The History of Technology: From the Printing Press to the Smartphone

Technological advancement history is an interesting complex process that took several centuries and significantly changed the world. 

Below is a detailed overview of key milestones, from the invention of the printing press to the modern smartphone:

#1 The Printing Press (1440):

The printing press that was invented by Johannes Gutenberg helped in the widespread sharing of information. 

Before the creation of the company books used to be written manually and therefore they were scarce and costly. 

Gutenberg brought the availability of texts that enabled people to gain knowledge, ideas and literacy in large numbers within a short period and the renaissance period in Europe was marked by this invention. 

It only took another 100 years for the Reformation to sweep through the continent, scientific discoveries also spread and finally the Rise of Enlightenment.

#2 The Steam Engine and the Industrial Revolution (Late 17th Century):

The first applications of steam power were already being proposed by Hero of Alexandria in the 1st century AD but the contemporary steam engine was invented in the 1600s and refined by James Watt in the 18th century. 

The industrial revolution was driven from the steam engine which brought mechanized factories, railroads and ships and revolutionized the industries such as textile, mining and transportation.

#3 Electricity (19th Century):

Technologic development of electricity in the 19 century has been considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of humanity. 

Notable influencers such as Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla laid down the foundation of Electrical Engineering, whereby the light bulb, power generation, or the electric motor cannot be mentioned without their names. 

These inventions propelled the second industrial revolution and created the foundation of today’s electricity supplying networks.

#4 the Telegraph and Telephone (1830s-1876):

The first tool enabling nearly real time communication over great distances was the telegraph invented by Samuel Morse in the 1830s. 

This made a great deal of difference in the way individuals communicate with one another especially in business organizations, governments, and in the military. 

This was advanced in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell through telephone invention by making it possible for people to transmit voice over wires revolutionizing personal and business life.

#5 Internal Combustion Engine (The Late 19th Century):

A major technological innovation, the internal combustion engine, pioneered by Nikolaus Otto and Karl Benz paved way lot for transportation. 

It led to the construction of auto mobile and later the plane which revolutionized the business and personal transport in the twentieth century. 

Ford motor company aimed at reducing costs per car through introduction of assembly line which in effect made cars affordable for the common man.

#6 They are The Computer (Mid-20th Century):

However, computers first appeared in mid twentieth century. 

Devices that came early in the development of computers include, Alan Turing’s theoretical accomplishment in computing, ENIAC, the first general purpose digital computer. 

Later in the 1970s Intel and Microsoft shaped the generation of personal computers (PCs). 

1981 IBM launched its first PC and this made the computer an essential tool in business, education and as a personal appliances.

#7 The Internet (1960s-1990s):

What was initially established as a military communication system called ARPANET in the 1960s then made freely available to the public in the 1990s as the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee. 

The expansion of the Internet changed the world of communication, working, and knowledge exchange. 

From the start of this new century, the link called broadband made the existence of the Internet even a part of people’s ordinary day.

#8 Mobile Phones (1970s-1990s):

Motorola Company was the one that first produced a mobile phone in 1973, although it was huge and costive. 

Although in the late 1980s and early 1990s, mobile phones were compact and cheaper, their usage introduced in the global market. 

In the late 1990s with the availability of text messaging (SMS) and mobile data networks, the groundwork for the telephone was laid.

#9 Smartphones (2000s):

Integrated with telephony, Internet, cameras and applications the modern smartphone was introduced to the mass by Apple’s iPhone in 2007. 

The iPhone established a capacitive multi-touch screen and an operating system which permitted third-party applications, the development of a new enterprise, and the revolution of how people interact, produce, and amuse themselves. 

Another open-source operating system that ever increasing in popularity is the Google’s Android which is also used in smart mobile devices and these two platforms now practically control the majority of mobile environments.

#10 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (21st Century Skills):

AI and Machine learning are the two latest forms of technologies that the world has come across. 

That’s why applications of artificial intelligence, understood as the ability of programs to analyze piles of data, identify patterns, and learn from them, can be observed in healthcare, finance, and transportation industries. 

The possibilities of AI for the future can be seen in tools as natural language processing (NLP) of voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa as well as in self-driving cars.

In this case, we will illustrate that the history of technologies has been characterized by gradual development of new tools and persistent attempts to address essential and complicated human problems. 

Since the invention of the printing press which made the spread of knowledge possible and the smartphone which unites innumerable people, every invention has had a quite strong impact on the society. 

In terms of technology, we are in the process of transitioning from data science to AI, and with quantum computing on the horizon, the advances do not appear to stop here, presenting the consumer with continued opportunity.

This simplified time line from the creation of the printing press to a smartphone today shows that the human being is constantly looking for ways through which to change the world.