1931—1931

Statistical Machine

Emanuel Goldberg and Robert Luther in Germany receive a U.S. patent for a “Statistical Machine” an early document search engine that uses photoelectric cells and pattern recognition to search for specific words on microfilm documents. This device was an early version of a search engine. Goldberg’s interest in linking bits of knowledge quickly may have influenced Vannevar Bush’s ideas about text linking.

1945—1945

"As We May Think"

Scientist Vannevar Bush publishes the article “As We May Think” in The Atlantic magazine predicting the invention of technology that would allow ideas in different parts of text to link to one another. This was a key public expression of the idea of the hypertext, which became reality with the invention of the World Wide Web.

1946—1946

Electronic Numeric Integrator and Computer (ENIAC)

University of Pennsylvania engineers create ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. This is the first programmable, electronic digital computer. There are several predecessors to ENIAC, but this invention ushers in the computer age.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4oGI_dNaPc

ENIAC: The First Computer

1958—1958

United State Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA)

President Eisenhower requests funds to create the United States Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). Responding to the Soviet Union’s launch of the Sputnik satellite, ARPA was to lead the development of new military technologies. It was renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 1972.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYQ3NSQfg40

DARPA-Military Secrets Scientists

1961—1961

Packing Switching

Larry Roberts at MIT sets up an experiment in which two computers communicate to each other using packet-switching technology. This experiment is a major move forward in the creation of a network of interacting computers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT4AaelwvV4

Story of Packet Switching

1966—1966

ARPANET

ARPANET project begins in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Larry Roberts is in charge. The goal is to create a packet-switching interconnected network of computers that can continue operating even when one part of the network is disabled by war.

1969—1969

ARPANET Connects

ARPANET connects computers at four U.S. universities. The first ARPANET message is sent between the University of California and Stanford University. The aim is to connect scientists at universities around the U.S. using a computer network. 1969 marks the first successful venture in this direction and paves the way for more and more computers to be joined into the network.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khajeqHUQ7Q

Internet History part 1: The First Time Two Computers Were Ever Connected

1971—1971

First Email Program

Ray Tomlinson creates the first email program, along with the @ sign to signify “at.” This is the start of specific “applications” on the network. [The first email was sent between two computers about one meter apart, though Tomlinson doesn’t remember the content of that first email.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhXk3wzemR4

Ray Tomlinson: The Inventor of Email

1973—1973

The U.K. and Norway Connect

ARPANET establishes connections to two universities in the UK and Norway. The linkage between computers becomes international.

1976—1976

Apple Computer

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple computers. The company will become a major force in spreading the internet and its uses and redefining the home computer.

https://youtu.be/DZyKlZcqrjk

The History of Apple in Under 10 Minutes

1981—1981

The Personal Computer and DOS

IBM announces the first personal computer (PC). Microsoft creates the PC’s disk operating system (DOS). This marks the beginning of Microsoft’s race to become a powerful company in computing, the internet, and video games.

https://youtu.be/ymCrUDTRuLI

IBM 5150 PC: CBS Sunday Morning

1983—1983

Domain Name System (DNS)

Paul Mockapetris and Jon Postel create the domain name system for the internet. These included the suffixes of .edu, .gov., .com , .mil, .org., .net, and .int. (Previously people used a series of numbers, such as 131.156.99.3.) In 1985, Symbolic.com becomes the first registered “domain” on ARPANET/Internet. Domain names serve as words that refer to places of internet participants on the internet that are fundamentally defined in terms of numerical addresses. It is a key step in organizing the internet for widespread use.

1987—1987

Cisco Routers

25 million PCs are sold in the U.S. and the first Cisco routers are shipped. These developments reflect the popular growth in personal-computer use and the beginnings of connections of these computers to the internet. Routers are devices that forward data packets between computer networks. Reading the internet address information in the packet, routers perform the “traffic directing” functions of the internet.

https://youtu.be/7_LPdttKXPc

How the Internet Works in 5 Minutes

1990—1990

The World Wide Web

ARPANET formally ends. Tim Berners-Lee creates the World Wide Web. This system of interlinked hypertext documents changes the way people access information.

https://youtu.be/HloK8KW6nGo

PBS Special on 20th Anniversary of the WWW—interview with Tim Berners-Lee

1993—1993

Mosaic Web Browser

Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina invent Mosaic, the first widely used Web browser at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. It quickly becomes a popular way to access pictures and text on the World Wide Web. It becomes the model for the popular Netscape browser and others that came afterwards. This browser development marked the beginning of the Web as a popular and commercial destination.

https://youtu.be/_L3Y2_YiT-A

Early days of Mosaic & Netscape Browsers: Marc Andreessen, Jim Clark, and John Doerr

1993—1993

Campus-Wide Internet

Carnegie Mellon University offers the first campus-wide wireless access to the internet.

1995—1995

Windows 95

Microsoft releases Windows 95. Borrowing the idea from Apple, this PC operating system used a graphical user interface, start menu, and task bar. It quickly became the most popular desktop operating system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw-GGT6900s&feature=youtu.be

Windows 95 Commercial

1996—1996

The New York Times Online

The New York Times establishes a website. It reflects the beginnings of the movement of offline journalism online. (See Chapter 8.)

1998—1998

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

U.S. Congress passes the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. COPPA reflects concerns in U.S. society about the ways marketers and other agencies track people, including young people, online and use their information without permission. This law singled children out for special concern. Effective in 2000, the act specified what a website operator must include in a privacy policy, when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent or guardian, and what responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online including restrictions on the marketing to those under 13.

https://youtu.be/0kbqirhmKaA

COPPA

1998—1998

Google

Sergey Brin and Larry Page incorporate the search engine Google. It becomes the preeminent search engine and powerful internet advertising force.

https://youtu.be/RXWyWfcQGoA

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google History

2001—2001

Internet Crime

The European Council adopts the first treaty addressing criminal offenses committed over the Internet. Countries are beginning to grapple with how to think of law as it relates to the internet necessitating new specializations within law such as internet law, media law, and information technology law.

2001—2001

iTunes

Apple introduces the iTunes media player and library application. It is the beginning of what will become Apple’s wildly successful venture into selling music tracks, videos, books, and other digital products for its desktop and mobile devices when they launch the iTunes store in 2003.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kweuRH7QwUE&feature=youtu.be

Apple iMac Ad: iTunes 1(2001)

2003—2003

Lawsuits for Copyright Infringement

The RIAA sues 261 individuals for allegedly distributing copyrighted music files over peer-to-peer networks.

2004—2004

Facebook Acquires Instagram

Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students create the Facebook social networking site.

2006—2006

Twitter

Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass launch Twitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzRkszaGBbY

Mashable

The Illustrated History of Twitter

2006—2006

Google Acquires YouTube

Google, Inc. acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCVxQ_3Ejkg

A Message From YouTube's Founders

2007—2007

Google Website Reaches #1

Search engine giant Google surpasses software giant Microsoft in having the most visited website.

2010—2010

Instagram

Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger create Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N92MQ9o4Fe0

Digital Charlotte

What is Instagram?

2011—2011

Smartphone Adoption Increases

Over one third (35%) of American adults own a smartphone.

2011—2011

Snapchat

Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy create Snapchat while students at Stanford University.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmHV9XPcKMw

GeneralTechHQ

What is Snapchat?

2012—2012

Facebook Acquires Instagram

Facebook purchases Instagram for $1 billion.

2015—2015

Smartphones Become Widespread

Nearly two thirds of Americans (64%) own a smartphone, and one in five rely solely on smartphones to access the internet.

2016—2016

Internet Society Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The nonprofit Internet Society was established in 1992 to “ensure that a healthy, sustainable Internet is available to everyone.”

https://goo.gl/images/d5sByt

2017—2017

FCC Repeals Net Neutrality rules

The FCC repeals 2015 net neutrality rules saying a restoration of the Federal Trade Commission’s authority over internet service providers would benefit consumers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/12/14/the-fcc-is-expected-to-repeal-its-net-neutrality-rules-today-in-a-sweeping-act-of-deregulation/?utm_term=.617fbc50d610

2018—2018

Facebook Data Breach

Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm, accesses information of millions of Facebook users, opening Facebook to an investigation by the FTC about privacy protections.

2018—2020

TikTok Reaches 1 Billion Users

TikTok experienced one of the fastest growths among social networks in terms of users, surpassing 1 billion just three years after its launch in August 2018.

2020—2020

Anti-trust Suit Filed against Google

The U.S. federal government and 11 states filed a suit against Google for anti-competitive practices, such as pushing out competitors and almost exclusively controlling online searches.

2021—2021

Deplatforming a President

More than a dozen social network sites and other platforms deplatformed President Donald Trump after the January 6 attack on the Capital Building. Some networks, such as Twitter, permanently banned him, while others suspended accounts pending review.

2021—2021

Facebook Rebrands as “Meta”

Facing extreme criticism and public relations crises from the Facebook papers, the social network site rebranded its parent company as “Meta.”

2021—2021

Cell Phone Adoption Near Universal

According to Pew Research, 97 percent of Americans own a cell phone and 85 percent of that is smart phones.

0—0

3000 BC The Papyrus Roll

Ancient Egyptians invent the papyrus roll. Predecessor of all modern printed materials, laid foundations for print communication.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhSSRRfYkhM

Art of the Scribe: Works on Papyrus

0—0

2500-3000 BCE Lampblack Ink

Lampblack ink or "India ink" is introduced in China. The carbon based material allows for permanence in writing.

100—100

The Codex

Early Christians popularize the codex. Rather than the traditional scroll, it is an unbound manuscript of single pages. Manuscripts began to take on look of the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Xkv2gjzZw

British Broadcasting Company

The Codex Sinaiticus: The Oldest Surviving Christian New Testament - The Beauty of Books – (BBC)

200—299

Woodblock Printing

Woodblock printing appears in China

500—500

The Early Printing Press

Printing process using wooden blocks developed in China. This remained the most commonly-used printing method in East Asia until the 19th century. The technique was used in Europe until the 15th century.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y57rUeCHoXg

China Engraved Block Printing Technique

1440—1440

Gutenberg's Printing Press

Gutenberg develops the printing press. Only 100 years after invention of printing press about 9 million books were available in Europe Before then, only a few thousand had been available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ojyCDRc8uc

Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press

1487—1487

Censorship

First censorship of books. Pope Innocent VIII issues a Papal Bull (on November 17, 1487) that requires church authorities approve all books before they are printed. Although the Church had always censored printed materials, the advent of the printing press made distribution of printed materials easier, thus, they established this formal rule forbidding book shops to stock books that were not approved by the Church.

1529—1529

Introduction of a Licensing System

King Henry VIII establishes licensing system. It creates a list of prohibited books and established that only printers with authority from the crown can use printing presses. This marks the establishment of censorship on a government level.

1637—1637

Restrictions on Licensing

Licensing procedures are further restricted to consolidate British Royal power. Only 23 printers are allowed to use presses, and there are now harsher penalties for printers that continue to use their presses without authority from the monarch.

1638—1638

Printing Press Appears in America

First printing press in the U.S. The first printing press in the U.S. is established in Cambridge, Massachusetts with some assistance from Harvard University. Interestingly, this link between the printer who initially sought to set up a printing press in the U.S. (Rev. Joseph Glover) and Harvard University came to pass after Glover died at sea while bringing the equipment to the U.S. and his widow went on to marry Harvard University president, Henry Dunster.

1710—1710

The Statute of Anne

The Copyright Act of 1709, also known as “The Statute of Anne” (referring to Queen Anne), protects printed works for specific periods of time and sets forth penalties for those who stole the material under copyright.

1800—1820

Emergence of Large Printing Companies

Books continue to be printed by small, family owned businesses. This will change as expensive steam-powered printing presses allow for the growth of large companies that can manufacture many books quickly.

1800—1899

Establishment of Formal Publishing Industry

With the widespread mechanization of printing, publishers are established as separate entities from booksellers.

1843—1843

The Hoe steam-powered cylinder

Hoe’s steam-powered cylinder is able to produce 4000 double impressions on paper in an hour—which is four times faster than Gutenberg’s press. This invention leads to the ability or printers to mass produce books on larger scale.

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Trains Contributed to the Distribution of Books Throughout the U.S.

1820—1910

Book Distribution

The U.S. experiences a growth in the construction of canals and railroads, leading to a demand for reading material for long journeys. Publishers’ are also now able to send books throughout the continent and distribute their content in a faster, large-scale way.

1840—1924

Immigration and Literacy Increases

There is a great influx of immigrants to America. In English and in other languages, book publishers have more potential consumers available as populations and literacy levels increase.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4wzVuXPznk

Immigration Through Ellis Island: Award Winning Documentary

1825—1875

Book Publishing Becomes an Industry

Large book-selling companies begin to emerge with departments specializing in different types of books aimed at different market segments. During this time, companies such as Little and Brown, Houghton, Scribner, John Wiley and Sons, and J.P. Putnam—many of which are still around today—were established as major publishing houses.

1850—1859

U.S. Authors

The number of successful U.S. authors grows. Authors such as Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and Washington Irving (The Sketch Book with the story “Rip Van Winkle”) end up selling hundreds of thousands of copyrighted books in this decade. This literary period is sometimes called the “American Renaissance.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nfJGYR7F0w

Harriet Beecher Stowe & “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

1870—1879

Domestic Novels

Rise of domestic novels in the U.S. These tearjerker stories are aimed at women, and are the predecessors of TV’s soap operas and the current publishing industry’s Harlequin romances.

1891—1891

The International Copyright Convention

U.S. joins International Copyright Convention. U.S. publishers now want the government to join this convention because they are losing revenues on the books they are publishing. This is because foreign companies have begun to copy and sell American books without paying royalties (just as American publishers did with English books in 1855).

1904—1904

Offset Lithography

Offset lithography is developed as a commonly used printing process. This printing process allows for rapid color printing, thus increasing the number of books that are printed in full color.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyxSLOZaj-M

Four Color Printing Process Explained

1926—1926

Book-of-the-Month Club

The Book-of-the-Month Club is founded by Harry Scherman, Max Sackheim, and Robert Haas. The BOMC provided hardbacks at lower cost than bookstores and for people who did not have bookstores near them. It also made recommendations for other books subscribers might be interested in based on what they’ve already read that they could easily order through the Book Club. It spawned several imitators.

1927—1927

Random House

Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer start the Random House publishing company. From the idea they would “publish a few books on the side at random,” it grows into the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world, now owned by Bertelsmann.

1929—1929

The Great Depression

This Great Depression financial crisis hurts the book industry since many people no longer have the extra money to spend on purchasing entertainment items such as books

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccNilnpvbJg

The Crash of 1929 and The Great Depression (PBS)

1939—1939

Pocket Books

Inspired by the example of cheap Penguin Books in the U.K., Pocket Books produces first mass-market paperback books in U.S. The first ten small, inexpensive books with popular titles such as Lost Horizon, Topper, and Bambi are extremely popular. They sell more 1.5 million copies in a year and start a new form of American book publishing.

1960—1989

Major Corporations Enter Book Industry

Growing conglomerates express interest in the book publishing industry. Major corporations such as Time Warner, CBS, and Advance Publications buy companies in the book business in the 1960s. In addition, European book companies start purchasing American book publishing companies beginning in the 1980s.

1971—1971

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg, a volunteer-led project that digitizes and archives cultural works, is founded. This is the first digital library, and is a clear sign of things to come for the book industry in terms of digitization and how books are distributed.

1984—1984

MacPublisher

The first desktop publishing program for the pathbreaking Apple MacIntosh personal computer, MacPublisher, is introduced. This substantially lowers the cost of formatting books and encourages low-cost publishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGRngF7B90

Macintosh Commercial: Apple Desktop Publishing

1996—1996

Backrub

Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page create a web crawler to index books—the precursor to Google’s PageRank algorithm and Google Books.

1993—2004

Bookstores Decline

Independent bookstores decrease by over 50% in the U.S., from 4,700 to 2,000.

2004—2004

Google Books

Google begins scanning millions of books with the goal of offering electronic access and sale. The activity ignites much controversy—and lawsuits—as authors and publishers demand to be consulted and paid. Click on the link for the New York Times article, “Some Fear Google’s Power in Digital Books.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEl6zrOvCmI

The Future of Google Books: Google Co-founder Sergey Brin

2007—2007

The Amazon Kindle

Amazon.com introduces the Kindle electronic book reader. It proves to be the beginning a move to huge readership of electronic versions of books. Other companies follow with their own versions of the “eReader”. Click here for the CNN.com article, “A Year Later, Amazon’s Kindle Finds a Niche.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsPF1_tovQw

Amazon Kindle Commercial

2009—2009

Digital Book Sales Increase

Amazon announces that it sold more Kindle e-Books for Christmas than it did physical books. This development highlights the growth of eBooks and supports USA Today’s decision in 2009 to incorporate Kindle sales into its weekly list of bestselling books. Click here for the Business Insider article, “Kindle Milestone: Amazon Sold More Kindle Books Than Physical Books on Xmas.”

2010—2010

Introduction of the iPad

The highly popular iPad is introduced and becomes another major vehicle for electronic book reading. Throughout the years, the iPad incorporates more and more interactive features to make eBooks more than just a flat document on an electronic device.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiUs8HQu_1o

Apple iPad Ad (3/7/2010)

2011—2011

Kindle Owner’s Library

The Kindle Owners' Library Lending launches. The aim is to encourage libraries to purchase and circulate electronic books in a manner that makes money for Amazon. Other firms, notably owned by Adobe, also offer libraries software for lending eBooks. Click on the link for the Washington Post article, “Amazon Launches Kindle Lending Library.”

2011—2011

Borders Books

Borders Books goes out of business. Although some observers note that Borders had some specific problems (not necessarily related to digital sales) that caused its demise, many nevertheless see it as a sign of the decline of brick and mortar stores in the age of Amazon. Click on the link below for the Daily Mail article, “Borders Goes Out of Business After 40 Years, Leaving 11,000 Without Jobs.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSPMmjMz6LM

Borders Closes the Book as Decisions Come Back to Haunt Chain (PBS)

2014—2014

E-book Expansion Continues

E-books make up 30% of all book sales in the U.S.

2009—2014

Number of Independent Bookstores Increases

Independent bookstores begin to make a resurgence, growing from 1,651 stores in the U.S. in 2009 to 2,094 in 2014.

2015—2015

Amazon Opens “Bricks and Mortar” Bookstore

Amazon gets physical with the opening of a full-service bookstore in a Seattle shopping mall, with others planned around the country.

https://goo.gl/images/g1NRMg

2017—2017

Obamas Receive Record Advance

Penguin Random House pays Barak and Michelle Obama $65 million in a joint deal for their memoirs.

2018—2018

Audio Book Sales Up, E-book Sales Down

Sales of audio books rise 37.1% over 2017 sales figures with E-book sales down 2.8%

2021—2021

Print Book Sales Up

Following the pandemic and lagging 2019 sales, sales of print books jumped 8.2 percent in 2020 and 18.5 percent in the first six months of 2021.

2021—2021

Calls for Book Bans on the Rise

Books about African American and LGBTQIA were the targets of 155 calls for their removal from library shelves. One Texas lawmaker wanted 850 books investigated for these and other issues as well. The American Library Association called the volume of calls “unprecedented.”

—

2021—2021

Supply Shortages Lead to Book Shortages

Supply, supply chain, and labor shortages affected the availability of books, bringing a shortage of spines to shelves. Popular titles that sell out fast won’t see replacement print runs, and paper shortages are expected through 2023.

1675—1700

Newspapers in the UK

Newspapers become a regular feature in Britain. After years of controlling the English press, the ruling monarchs finally give into the demands of Parliament. Newspapers are printed on a flatbed printing press similar to Gutenberg’s (see Chapter 7). Click on the link for more information on the history of newspapers in Great Britain.

1735—1735

John Peter Zenger Trial

In a landmark case, John Peter Zenger is charged with seditious libel for printing facts in his newspaper that reflected badly on the royal governor. The American jury found that, unlike in English law, truth could be used as a defense against libel. Even though a guilty verdict is the proper outcome under British law, Andrew Hamilton, Zenger's lawyer, persuades the jury that his client is innocent. The jury decision reflects an idea that became the First Amendment, that “Nature and the Laws of our country have given us a Right—the Liberty—both of exposing and opposing arbitrary Power . . . by speaking and writing Truth."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKMBNx0LVto

Why Were New York City Newspapers Burned in 1734?

1761—1779

Adversarial Press

Britain imposes a series of paper taxes, from the Stamp Act to the Townshend Acts, to finance war with the French. The policy angers the American colonialists and they begin to publish strong denunciations on the British colonial policy of taxation without representations. This contributes to increased belief in an adversarial press—a press that had the ability to argue with government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9JJuVxtNOc

Stamp Act of 1765

1791—1791

The First Amendment

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which explicitly protects the press, is adopted. The Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This sets into law the right of the press to have an adversarial relationship with the government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1SCQPyFlIY&list=PL0BCFBB36C06D91C8

“The First Amendment and You” Episode 1, Part 1

1780—1829

The Cost of Newspapers

Daily newspapers tend to be supported by political parties and to be read by merchants and politicians. The papers are a nickel apiece, expensive for typical Americans-- and they are sold by subscription, a year in advance, which adds to the expense. In addition to the cost, widespread illiteracy discourages the growth of daily newspapers among all but the well-off and well-educated.

1814—1814

The Steam Powered Printing Press

A steam powered printing press, invented by Frederick Koenig, is used for the first time by the Times of London. The speed of the new press along with cheaper ways to make paper substantially lowers the per page cost of newspapers.

1820—1829

Literacy in Labor Unions

During this decade, early labor unions create newspapers specially for their members. Literacy among labor union members is growing. Yet, when the unions declined after this decade, their newspapers declined as well. A number of entrepreneurs took note that there might be an untapped audience for daily newspapers.

1831—1831

The Liberator

William Lloyd Garrison starts The Liberator, a weekly anti-slavery newspaper, in New England championing the non-violent abolition of slavery through moral persuasion. While its initial circulation is relatively limited (fewer than 400), its readership grows so that by the Civil War it has wide influence among anti-slavery groups.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GT2yNPJQ8

The American Experience

The Abolitionists - William Lloyd Garrison

1833—1833

The New York Sun

Benjamin Day starts New York Sun daily for a penny per issue. Its slogan is" It Shines for All." The slogan reflects Day’s desire to entice the general public, not just those with money, to read its material. Sold by hawkers in the street, the newspaper makes money one issue at a time. Within six months, the paper circulation reaches about 8000, almost twice that of its nearest rival. This marks the beginning of the Penny Press era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEp3UhdswZg

“Making of a Newspaper” Circa 1929 The Sun (New York)

1847—1847

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass, a former slave, publishes the North Star in Rochester, New York, inspired by Garrison’s The Liberator. The anti-slavery North Star takes the position that Garrison’s approach to emancipation by moral persuasion is not enough. Political action is necessary. This paper and its successor, Liberty Party Paper (begun in 1852 with Gerrit Smith), are influential in developing the ideology that guides strident political demands for the downfall of slavery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j0jvj4e4XU

America: The Story of Us -Frederick Douglass

1840—1849

The New York Herald

New York Herald, a penny newspaper, is innovative in appealing to different segments of the population within the same issue by using separate sections. Sections include a sports section, a critical review column, society news, and a financial section. These sections and the growth of reporters working for the paper herald a new approach to news by American newspapers.

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The New York Herald

1840—1859

Hoe’s Rotary Press

Increased newspaper circulation leads to the widespread use of Hoe’s rotary (or “type-revolving”) press. Instead of placing the type on a flatbed, Hoe puts it on a cylinder, with different parts of the cylinder holding type for different pages of the paper. By 1855, Hoe’s ingenious machine prints 20,000 sheets per hour. The new technology enables newspapers to print quickly and cheaply, befitting their large circulations.

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Richard M. Hoe

1840—1869

Technological Advances

Reporters speed their words to the printing presses via carrier pigeon, Pony Express, the railroad, and eventually the telegraph. Practice of newsgathering develops with technology.

http://www.history.com/topics/telegraph/videos#the-telegraph-and-telephone

The Birth of Telecommunications

1841—1869

Bylines and Headlines

The byline (which identifies the story’s author) emerges, as does the date line (which tells where and when the reporter wrote it). Modern news conventions develop. Also emerging during this period are different sizes of headlines, which cue readers into the relative importance of stories. Those with larger headlines are designated as “more important” by the newspaper publisher, therefore they use the larger typeface to draw the reader’s attention to those stories.

1849—1849

The Associated Press

Seven New York City newspapers establish the Associated Press (AP) as a cooperative newsgathering organization. Newspapers in other cities join the service, discharges of membership the in return for sending it stories to the papers over the telegraph wires. The AP facilitates the national sharing of news.

1860—1869

The Inverted Pyramid

The “inverted pyramid” style of reporting evolves with the widespread use of the telegraph during and after the civil war. Writers summarize all the major facts at the beginning of the dispatch and then elaborate on the events after that initial summary. It is still the style used for most hard news stories today.

1870—1899

Newspaper Circulation Grows

The number of English-language general-circulation dailies increases from 489 in 1870 to 1,967 in 1900. Foreign-language newspapers also grow steeply in number and readership, which leads to a dramatic increase in newspaper circulation.

1880—1910

Advertising in Newspapers

A new business philosophy in newspapers develops: using advertising instead of circulation revenues for their profits. The percentage of newspaper revenue coming from advertising rose 50% in 1880 to 64% in 1910. This contributed to the advertising revolution in newspapers.

1890—1899

Full-Color Newspapers

Full-color presses, first used in Paris, France, are adapted in the United States and used especially for Sunday comics. Aesthetic changes in newspapers. In 1897, high-quality reproductions of photographs make their first appearance in the New York Tribune.

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The Boston Sunday Herald

1890—1899

Yellow Journalism

The term “yellow journalism” is used for a newspaper characterized by irresponsible, fickle, and sensational news-gathering and exhibition. The rise of yellow journalism. The publishers of these papers use sensational stories of sex and murder, along with publicity gimmicks, to lure readers into buying their newspapers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0mjkLPvrQM

Yellow Journalism: Origins and Definition

1898—1898

The Spanish-American War

Rise of sensationalistic coverage of the Spanish-American War, led by publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, who are competing for circulation in New York. When the battleship the U.S.S. Maine blows up in Havana Harbor, publisher William Randolph Hearst offers a $15,000 reward (which he advertises in his New York newspaper, The World) to the person who can prove who was responsible destroying the ship. When the United States goes to war with Spain over the incident, The New York Journal –American (also owned by Hearst) covers the conflict in antagonistic, highly emotional tones. In response to social and governmental indignation regarding the rise of yellow journalism, the newspaper industry turns to self-regulation. That includes the establishment of university schools and departments of journalism (University of Missouri in 1908 and Columbia in 1912)—often with the support of wealthy newspaper publishers. The goal of the schools is to turn journalism into a respected craft, with its own clear set of procedures, norms, and ethics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU5l4yQCpMM

The Spanish-American War

1920—1929

Tabloids

Rise of the tabloids: the most popular of this sort of newspaper was the New York Daily News, which dubbed itself “New York's picture newspaper.” Like its imitators, in its earliest years the Daily News reflected the idea of a newspaper that had been stripped of real news (i.e., that which the new journalism schools were trying to promote). Instead, the reader got large doses of the entertainment part of the traditional paper: gossip, comic strips, horoscopes, advice columns, sports, and news about movie stars.

1920—1929

Norms

An ethic of objectivity develops among professional journalists, who increasingly develop formal rules and codes for journalism.

1930—1939

Competition From Other Media

The Great Depression and the rise of radio adversely impact the newspaper industry, as many advertisers switch to radio. Between 1937 and 1939, one-third of salaried employees in the newspaper industry lose their jobs as circulation numbers decline.

1930—1939

Newspaper Chains

In the midst of the Depression, powerful newspaper chains – – that is, companies that own a number of papers around the nation – –are established. The 1930’s saw the creation of newspaper chains, which led to the consolidated control by these chains over Americans’ news. By 1933, the six most powerful chains – – Hearst , Patterson – McCormick, Block, Ridder, and Gannett-- control about one quarter of all daily circulation in the United States. Hearst alone controls almost 14% of daily and 24% of Sunday newspaper circulation in 1935.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otzmmr8iidI

The Rise of William Randolph Hearst

1950—1959

Emergence of the Television

By the late 1950s, most U.S. homes (86%) have at least one television set. Newspapers must now compete with another media format—the television. Like radio, television competes with newspapers for advertising revenue.

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Television Set

1990—2016

Decline in Newspaper Circulation

Young readers migrate to free Web and app news sources such as blogs and link-collection (or aggregation) sites (for example, Google News). This development speeds up newspaper circulation declines.

2008—2009

Newspaper Revenue Decreases

A global recession along with huge debts of certain newspaper chains leads to major decreases in total newspaper revenues during 2008 and 2009. Newspaper industry woes deepen. The drop in print circulation due to people's use of the web for news makes the situation even more difficult for those in the industry.

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Financial Crisis Depicted in Newspaper Headline

2008—2016

Bankruptcy

Six large newspaper companies file for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code. Newspaper industry woes deepen leading some to wonder—is the newspaper industry dying?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu3UQD9SrIo

The Death of American Newspapers

2009—2009

Migration to the Internet

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer moves to an online- only format to save money. The move to an online format by the Post-Intelligencer is just the beginning of what will become a significant migration of newspapers (or newspaper content) to the web. The Advance newspaper chain is the next to announce this migration when it states t will offer its Ann Arbor News only online.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhh95o32yvM

Kenneth Lerer: Hearst New Media Lecture

2009—2009

Closing of Rocky Mountain News

The Rocky Mountain News of Denver, Colorado, prints its final issue just two months shy of its 150th anniversary.

2010—2010

Original Content in Online News

ProPublica, an independent nonprofit news organization, becomes the first online news source to win a Pulitzer Prize.

2013—2013

Amazon acquires the Washington Post

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, pays $250 million for The Washington Post, ending 80 years of local ownership of the paper by the Meyer-Graham family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnCYgLEt1QE

ABC 'This Week' Panel

Amazon's Jeff Bezos Buys the Washington Post

2014—2014

Declines in Advertising

Annual newspaper advertising revenue in the U.S. is $16.4 billion, down dramatically from $46.7 billion in 2004.

2014—2014

Automated Reporting

Using new “automation technology,” the Associated Press begins to release computer-generated rather than reporter-generated stories about company earnings.

2015—2015

Corporate Concern about Newspapers

Gannett and several other big media companies spin off their newspaper divisions.

2016—2016

Public Trust in Media at New Low

According to Gallup only 32% of Americans say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the mass media “to report the news fully, accurately and fairly”, the lowest level in Gallup polling history.

2017—2017

“Fake News” Becomes News

The phrase “fake news,” often bandied about to call question to any news that the accuser finds fault with, was named “word of the year” by Collins Dictionary.

2018—2018

Social Media Tops Newspapers as News Source

Pew Research Center finds 20% of U.S. adults say they get news via social media. The percent tops the number saying they reads newspaper (16%) for the first time. Television remains most popular medium for news. (49%)

2021—2021

Alden Global Capital and Newspaper Consolidation

In spring 2021, Alden Global Capital Received permission to buy the Tribune company, which included the Chicago Tribune newspaper. The group gutted that paper’s newsroom, according to The Atlantic. In November 2021, the group sought to buy Lee Enterprises, another large newspaper chain.

2021—2021

Public Trust in Media Rises Slightly

According to a Gallup poll, 36 percent of Americans trust the media report the news completely and fairly. Breaking that down, 68 percent of Democrats trusted the media “a great deal or fair amount,” while 31 percent of independents and only 11 percent of Republicans.

1700—1799

Magazines in England

Magazines begin to be published regularly in England. Two prominent magazines, The Tatler and The Spectator, serve up both politics and literature by famous writers of the day. Unfortunately for the publishers of these magazines, widespread illiteracy and the high cost of magazines mean that many people do not purchase them.

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The Tatler

1741—1741

Magazines in the U.S.

The first magazines appear in the United States. Andrew Bradford’s The American Magazine, published in Philadelphia, precedes Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine by three days. With the publication of these two magazines, the industry officially launches in the U.S.

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The American Magazine and Historical Chronicle

1810—1810

Prohibitive Cost of Magazines

Cost of magazines prevents the widespread publication of magazines in the U.S. Magazines are too expensive, and the illiteracy rate is too high, for periodicals to gain a foothold among ordinary Americans. As a result, fewer than 100 magazines are published in the U.S.

1825—1860

Magazines as Mass Media

The transformation of magazines into commercial operations. During this period, between 4000 and 5000 new magazines are introduced in the U.S. Like their counterparts in the newspaper and book industries, magazine entrepreneurs take advantage of the rising levels of education, the new steam-powered presses, and postal loopholes to expand the market. Most of the new magazines die quickly, but theses magazine launches signify that business people are beginning to see a large market emerging for periodicals.

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Harper’s Weekly

1860—1860

Godey’s Lady’s Book

Godey's Lady’s Book, founded in 1830, reaches a circulation of 150,000 readers and becomes the most widely circulated magazine before the Civil War. The magazine contains poetry, engravings, articles and other features from well-known artists and writers. The magazine was managed by editor Sarah Hale (also credited with writing “Mary Had a Little Lamb”) from 1837-1877, who facilitated the publishing of many original American manuscripts within the magazine, even having three special issues in which all the contributors were women.

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Godey’s Lady’s Book

1879—1879

The Postal Act

The Postal Act of 1879, intended to create distinctions between different classes of mail, lowered postage rates for magazines, making them more affordable and easily circulated.

1890—1899

Advertising in Magazines

Magazines increase their reliance on advertisements as a source of revenue. During this great American industrial boom, manufacturers want to reach out to potential customers. Magazine publishers, such as Frank Munsey, realize that they can make a lot of money by selling advertisers space in his magazines, enabling them to reach large numbers of readers. They attract those large numbers of readers by charging low subscription prices. This period marks the beginning of mass circulation magazines in the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNL_6oZbq0

Captains of Industry: Frank A. Munsey

1903—1903

Ladies Home Journal

Cyrus H.K. Curtis launches Ladies’ Home Journal with his wife, Louisa Knapp Curtis, as editor. The magazine would become one of the most influential of the coming century, and the Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia would become a magazine and advertising powerhouse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IptWcMseFkk

Captains of Industry: Cyrus Curtis

1893—1893

Advertising Revenues Over Customer Revenues

Frank Munsey drops the price of Munsey’s Magazine to ten cents and the subscription cost to one dollar. That causes the circulation to skyrocket.

1908—1908

The Saturday Evening Post

Curtis Publishing’s Saturday Evening Post, America's best-selling magazine, sells more than 1 million copies a week. Aimed to appeal broadly to all American adults, this magazine published works by some of the best U.S. writers of the time: Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, Theodore Dreiser, Jack London, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sinclair Lewis, among others.

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/48155130

“Modern Classic” NBC News Story on The Saturday Evening Post

1920—1929

Rise of Alternative Magazines

The rise of upscale and topical magazines such as The New Yorker and Business Week as alternatives to mass circulation magazines.

Selection at a Magazine Stand

1950—1959

Competition with Television

Magazines must now compete with television. By the late 1950s, 86% of U.S. homes have at least one television set. The huge popularity of the television begins to hurt mass circulation, even popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post.

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A Family Watching Television

1960—1969

Magazines Geared for Specific Audiences

The era of mass circulation magazines ends, and a new era of specialized, audience-targeted magazines begins. Lifestyle-oriented magazines such as Psychology Today and Self that target specific audiences that advertisers would like to reach allow companies to make substantial profits with magazines that reach hundreds of thousands, or even tens of thousands, of people instead of millions.

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Selection at a Magazine Stand

1990—2016

Magazine Conglomerates

Time Warner's Time Inc., Hearst Corporation’s magazines division, Advance Publications, and Meredith Publishing Company dominate consumer magazines.

1994—1994

First Online Magazine

HotWired (sister publication of Wired magazine) launches as the first commercial magazine on the web. This marks the beginning of the magazine industry’s entry into the digital age. HotWired also serves as the site of the first online banner ad.

2010—2010

The iPad

Apple releases the iPad. Magazine companies see apps on tablets such as the iPad as a possible way to gain many advertisers and readers in the digital era.

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An iPad Displaying Magazine Titles

2011—2011

Apple’s Magazine Apps

Apple requires magazines offering apps on iTunes to adopt Apple’s new subscription system for magazines and newspapers, Newsstand, and share any resulting revenues with Apple.

1922—1922

Reader's Digest

Reader’s Digest is founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace.

1925—1925

The New Yorker

The New Yorker is founded, and quickly becomes a preeminent forum for long-form journalism and fiction.

1950—1979

Activist Magazines

Gay rights organizations like the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis begin to publish alternative magazines (the Mattachine Review and The Ladder) advocating for the civil and political rights of gay and lesbian Americans.

1990—1995

Zines

Young third-wave feminists begin to publish “zines”: creative, collage-driven, Xeroxed handmade magazines that promote feminist causes.

2012—2012

Seventeen pledges to limit altering of women's photos

In response to an online petition by a 14-year-old reader, Seventeen magazine pledges not to digitally alter the body sizes or face shapes of the young women it features.

2015—2015

Charlie Hedbo Shootings

Two gunmen open fire in the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly magazine, killing 12 and prompting worldwide debate over freedom of expression, violence and the limits of satire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpvz7w6ilNk

Charlie Hebdo: Paris terror attack kills 12

2015—2015

Apple replaces Newsstand App

Apple ends its Newsstand app, and launches News, a new content-aggregation app that allows magazines and other publishers to deliver their content directly to users.

2018—2018

Flipboard Users Hit 145 Million

The magazine app, Flipboard, founded in 2010, hits a record hit of 145 million users and 11,000 publishers contributing content to the app.

2018—2018

Meredith Acquires Time Inc.

Iowa-based publishing company, Meredith, becomes the largest publisher in the U.S. after its acquisition of Time Inc.

2019—2019

Glamour Goes Online Only

After 80 years of publication Glamour’s last print issue will be January’s, moving to online only with its February edition.

2021—2021

Meredith Sold to IAC/Interactive Corp.

After several years of selling off iconic magazines such as Time, Sports Illustrated, and Fortune Magazine, Meredith Corp. has reached an agreement to become part of IAC/InterActive Corp. for $2.7 billion.

—2020

Playboy Ends Print Run

After 66 years, iconic magazine Playboy ended its print run with the spring 2020 issue. The publisher cited the pandemic as part of the cause. The magazine will continue its online edition.

1880

Sheet Music Publishing

Much sheet music publishing in the U.S. was facilitated by music stores or “serious” music publishers. The music publishing industry was relatively small. Music stores did sell songs that became popular through minstrel troupes or touring singers.

1877—1877

The Phonograph

Thomas Edison invents the first phonograph. The device records sound on a foil-covered cylinder. To play back the recording, the person would connect the needle to a hollow horn, place the stylus on the cylinder, and turn the crank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGJR2DZBfF0

Invention of Phonograph

1885—1885

The Graphophone

Chichester Bell (cousin of Alexander Graham Bell) and Charles Tainer introduce the graphophone, which improves upon the phonograph by using a wax-covered cylinder for recording rather than the phonograph’s more fragile tinfoil surface.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZZqta2LVWo

Wax Recording History - Media Recording History 1870-1900

1887—1887

The Gramophone

Emile Berliner patents the gramophone, the first recording device to use flat disks rather than cylinders. The 12-inch discs have wide grooves play back at 78 revolutions per minute (RPMs). Berliner develops a system for using the zinc disks to make molds that would press out copies of the records on hard rubber. The molds can be used to make copies in almost unlimited numbers, thus making the disc more efficient than the cylinder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhgKsFcetyk

History of the Gramophone

1906—1906

The Victrola

The Victor Talking Machine Company, led by a former colleague of Berliner, introduces the Victrola, an easy-to-use gramophone that is also a piece of furniture. The product helps speed adoption of the disc and solidifies the strength of Berliner’s Victor Talking Machine Company. Eventually the discs are pressed on both sides. Because of their wide grooves and 78 RPM speed, they are limited to less than five minutes of recording per side.

1909—2015

Piano Sales

With the rise of sales in prerecorded music and in radio sets comes the decline in piano sales that continued for a century after. In 1909 more than 350,000 were sold. Between 2004 and 2015, sales dropped another 60 percent.

1910—1910

Record Sales

Record sales hit 30 million. The number reflects the growing popularity of phonographs (both cylinder and disc players). The recordings from all the manufacturers are acoustic. That is, the sound waves themselves move the needle creating the record grooves. No microphone amplifies the sound.

1912—1912

Disc Production

Edison’s company begins producing discs. Consumers prefer Berliner’s flat discs over the cylinders because they sound better and are easier to store without breaking.

1914—1914

The ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is founded as the first U.S. performing rights organization by Victor Herbert in New York City. The aim is to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members, who are mostly writers and publishers associated with New York City's popular-music business neighborhood, called Tin Pan Alley. ASCAP's earliest members included the era's most active songwriters — Irving Berlin, Otto Harbach, James Weldon Johnson, Jerome Kern, and John Philip Sousa.

1916—1916

Sheet Music Sales

Sheet music sales fall dramatically. The public prefers to listen to recordings more than to learn to play the music. Prices fall to 10 cents from 40 cents in 1902. Songwriters begin to make most of their money from recordings rather than sheet-music sales.

1920—1929

Electric Recordings

A number of firms (most prominently Bell Telephone) work to develop “electric recordings,” which Victor Talking Machine and Columbia Phonograph release in 1926. Electric recordings involve the use of microphones to amplify the sounds of the artists who are recording the sound on records. This development transforms recordings, as they now can pick up sounds that are softer and more subtle than the acoustic technology could.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eVr0X5UTVI

“Mr. Jelly Lord” by Jelly Roll Morton’s Incomparables (Gennett Electric 1926)

1920—1929

Commercial Radio

The development of commercial radio threatens record sales. Certain music genres radio stations won’t play—such as jazz, blues, hillbilly music, and ethnic songs—keep record companies going.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuKx93NTgZ0

Oldtime Radio Documentary “The First 50 Years” The History of Radio Part I

1929—1929

Corporations Merge

Victor Talking Machine Company merges with the Radio Corporation of America, owner of the NBC radio networks. An indicator of radio’s power over music and competition with the recording industry.

1930—1939

The Great Depression

The Great Depression hits the recording industry hard. Sales collapse to one tenth of previous levels as people rely more on radio for music. By 1935 only two major U.S. record companies remain in business, Victor and Columbia-Brunswick.

1939—1949

New Music Rejuvenates Sales

Record sales rebound as a result of swing bands and celebrity musicians. The new bands such as those led by Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller encourage youngsters to buy records. Radio begins to be seen as a way of publicizing records rather than as a competitor.

1948—1948

The Long-Playing Record

CBS introduces the LP (long-playing record). The new product is a 12-inch, fine-grooved disc played at a speed of 33 1/3 RPM. Each side of a 12-inch LP can play for more than 20 minutes—much longer than the traditional record. A year later RCA introduces a 45 RPM, 7-inch record that allows more time than the traditional record but less than CBS’ invention. Many record players allow for three record speeds—the traditional 78 RPM as well as the 45 RPM and 33 1/3 RPM. The “45s” tend to be used for an artist’s single song on each side, while the 33 1/3 becomes the actual long-playing record. Long-playing records allow musicians to try out ideas that were much longer and more conceptual than the traditional three-minute song that has been standard since the start of records.

1950—1959

Emergence of Radio Stations

The rise of television leads radio stations to emphasize music as an economical element and to compensate for types of programming lost to TV. Development of formats allows greater targeting of audiences by record companies. College radio stations, for example, become useful vehicles for introducing “alternative” music, which most commercial stations would not touch until it had sold well in stores. Recording executives hate that they must rely on the interests of radio programmers to get their music out to potential customers. The pressure to get “airplay” encouraged bribes with money, drugs, and other gifts, and produced a number of scandals.

1950—1969

Technological Improvements Arrive

Improvements in technology encourage the purchasing of recorded music, driven by teen-oriented rock ‘n’ roll radio. First was the introduction of the longer-playing record formats, which permitted longer recordings. Second, the sound quality of records was enhanced by the introduction of high-fidelity and stereophonic record players. Third, almost unbreakable vinyl replaced highly breakable shellac as the material for making records.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqEeP6YPkGM

RCA Victor

Living Stereo: 1958 Vinyl Records Educational Documentary

1960—1969

Audiotape Technology

Audiotape technology gives musicians more freedom in creating music. It also encourages manufacturers to create lightweight players that play music cartridges. The idea of recording and playing sound on tape originated in Germany in the years leading up to World War II; German tape recorders were discovered by Allied soldiers toward the end of the war. Tape technology allows musicians to create different sound tracks and then edit and combine them into the finished recording. Cartridge tape players powered by transistors and light batteries change the way audiences buy and listen to music. Now the albums of their choice were portable. For the first time, people could take them to the park or the beach and even play them in their cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxRs2UESCjE

RCA Victor

RCA Victor Presents…A Revolution in Tape

1963—1963

Compact Tapes

Phillips releases the first compact cassette tape and recorder.

1981—1981

MTV

Warner Cable starts the MTV (Music Television) cable network. The twenty-four hour network provides an opportunity for recording companies to reach target audiences beyond radio using music videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6jz65YRCy8

History of MTV

1983—1983

The Compact Disc

The compact disc is introduced. Analog sound reproduction is replaced by digital. The recording industry promoted the CD as an alternative to the standard vinyl record; it argued that CDs had superior sound, were more durable, and would never wear out. Although there were skeptics (and there still are), recorded music sales surged as people rebuilt their collections of records and tapes with CDs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut_40U0t9pU

How It’s Made: Compact Discs

1996—1996

MP3

The U.S. patent for MP3 technology was issued.

1999—1999

Napster

Napster P2P (peer-to-peer) file-sharing service is launched. It allows for the illegal distribution of copyrighted music and begins an era of rampant music “piracy.” Although people had long been making copies of records through their tape recorders, the analog duplication method degraded the sound quality, while digital reproductions are identical to the originals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1N-U4VGFM

1999-2011 The History of Napster: Two Extremes with the Same Name

1999—1999

MP3 Music Distribution

Ahead of Apple, SubPop was the first record company to distribute MP3 songs.

2001—2001

The iPod

Apple releases its iPod. The iPod makes it possible to for people to store up to 1000 songs and listen to digital MP3 files in a sleek, portable format. Although other MP3 players started entering the market in 1998, the iPod quickly became the standard for portable digital music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saijiY36pzY

iPod History (2001-2010)

2003—2003

iTunes Store

Apple allows users to purchase songs on iTunes, its online music store. In addition to selling full albums, customers have the option to purchase individual songs starting at $0.99 each.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2n86TROxzY

Apple Music Event 2003-iTunes Music Store Introduction

2003—2003

Recording Industry Lawsuits

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) files 261 lawsuits against people it claims have illegally downloaded and distributed copyrighted music.

2003—2003

Tracking of Digital Music Sales

Nielson SoundScan, a sister company of the industry trade magazine Billboard, begins to include digital music sales in its famous popularity charts in which they provide sales data about the most popular albums and singles. Digital music has become mainstream.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BillboardMagazine

YouTube for Billboard Magazine

2009—2009

Vevo Launches

Vevo, the music-video distribution platform, launches with content from Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and EMI. The platform allows control of music video content and ad-sharing revenue.

2011—2011

Digital Music Sales

Digital recordings make up a bit more than 50% of the unit sales of recordings in the U.S. Digital music has become mainstream and is having a major impact on how the record industry functions since fewer and fewer people are purchasing full albums online or physical CDs at the stores.

2014—2014

Streaming Services

Streaming music sales outpace CD sales for the first time

2014—2014

Tracking of Streaming Services

Billboard begins to track on-demand streaming (via sources like Spotify and Google Play) as a component of its Billboard 200 chart, which tracks the top 200 albums of the week.

2015—2015

Rise of Streaming Services

Jay-Z and other celebrity musicians announce the launch of Tidal, a more artist-led service than others that offers higher-quality sound.  Apple debuts Apple Music, a subscription streaming service to make up for the downtown in its sales of individual songs and albums on iTunes.

2015—Now

The Rise of K-Pop

Non-English speaking music traditionally has had trouble finding an audience in American listeners, but the K-Pop revolution has begun to change that. Notable for their success is BTS, who has had albums debut at the top of the Billboard 200 and who have filled stadiums on their tours.

2017—2017

Artists Percentage of Revenues

A Citigroup report states that music artists received only 12 % of the $43 billion industry in 2017.

2017—2017

Spotify Sued for $1.6 Billion

Wixen Music Publishing sues Spotify for using their music catalog without proper licensing or compensation, the latest of several lawsuits for the streaming service. The suit is settled a year later.

2018—2018

Stream Ripping

32% of consumers worldwide illegally download music through stream ripping, according to IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry.)

1895—1895

Morse Code

Italian inventor and engineer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending wireless messages over long distance using Morse code. The company reinforces radio’s commercial shipping and naval military potential. Radio operators hear the code via headphones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d8abHBjP7s

Guglielmo Marconi Showing Demo of Radio TX/RX

1896—1896

The Radio Transmitter

Marconi patents the first radio transmitter. Because the Italian government shows no interest in Marconi’s find, he takes it to England, where people quickly see its value to the far-flung British Empire. The Marconi Company is formed to equip the commercial and military ships of England, the United States, and other countries with wireless telegraphy for communicating with one another and with shore points around the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM3JEUk6Q2s

Guglielmo Marconi and the Invention of Radio

1900—1900

Reginald Fessenden

Reginald Fessenden manages to broadcast speech and music with Marconi’s device. This technology further increases the technology’s business and military utility.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hursvj69An8

Guricht: Birth of Radio

1907—1907

The Audion Vacuum Tube

U.S. inventor Lee de Forest patents the Audion vacuum tube. This invention makes it possible for people to listen to the radio in groups through speakers. He envisioned stations sending out continuous music, news, and other material that people can listen to in various venues, including their homes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6IeuC8DSvg

AT&T Archives

Bottle of Magic

1912—1912

The Radio Act of 1912

Congress passes Radio Act of 1912. It empowers the Secretary of Commerce to issue licenses to parties interested in radio broadcasting and to decide what frequencies should be used for what kinds of services. The broadcasters could use any frequency they wanted, as long as the frequency they used was within the designated range of public frequencies.

1917—1919

The U.S. Navy and Domestic Radio

During World War I, the U.S. Navy takes control of domestic radio for military purposes. After the war, the Navy seeks Congressional permission to retain control over radio for reasons of national security. The rationale is that if enemies of the United States got control of radio stations, they could disseminate propaganda that could be damaging to the interests of the country.

1919—1919

Privatization of Radio Broadcasts

Congress decrees that broadcasting is to be a privately sponsored enterprise. They have major broadcast patents. Their goal is to control the new radio business through patents on the transmission and reception of signals.

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Vintage Radio

1920—1920

Radio Companies Begin Stations

Westinghouse Corporation founds KDKA radio station in Pittsburgh with the purpose of providing programming over the air so people will buy Westinghouse radio sets. The station is the nation’s first commercial broadcast station. RCA, GE, and AT&T also start stations during the next few years. Stores also get in on the action, using in-store stations as publicity for the radios they sell. Sears in Chicago calls its station WLS, World’s Largest Store.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMujQke4mMo

KDKA Pittsburgh—1st Commercial Broadcast

1922—1922

Selling of Radio Spots

AT&T allows the Queensboro Realty Company to pay $50 each for five “talks” on AT&T’s New York City radio station, the WEAF. Queensborough’s aim is to extol properties it has for sale. This activity marks the start of radio advertising.

1926—1926

Emergence of Radio Networks

The earliest radio networks, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and United Independent Broadcasters, are founded. By that time, AT&T had sold its broadcast stations to RCA, so the company owned two stations in New York. It therefore started two NBC networks, the Red and the Blue, which carried different programs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljMYdnrfky4

1926-NBC

1926—1926

NBC Radio

The earliest radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is formed.

1927—1927

Columbia Broadcasting System

United Independent Broadcasters is reorganized into the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). Though it struggled during its early months, CBS eventually stabilized and became a formidable competitor to NBC.

1927—1927

Federal Radio Commission (FRC)

The Radio Act of 1927 creates the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) to issue radio licenses and bring order to nation’s radio airwaves. Because until now any station with a license can claim any radio frequency, stations are broadcasting on top of one another. The FRC kicks some stations off the air and tells the remaining ones the maximum power at which they could broadcast. These stations getting the best deals are generally commercial broadcasters, and often they are network affiliates. Educational and religious stations were consigned to inferior positions on the dial, if they stayed on the air at all.

1933—1944

FDR’s Fireside Chats

News slowly develops into an important part of radio. The major networks create their own news divisions and beef them up during the Spanish Civil War and the outbreak of World War II in Europe. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recognized the importance of radio for informing the nation and embarked on a series of radio talks to promote his administration’s policies—these popular broadcasts became known as “fireside chats.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt9f-MZX-58

Fireside Chat 1

1920—1939

Entertainment on the Radio

Varied entertainment genres develop in radio. Network radio programs include morning talk shows, afternoon soap operas, and after-school children’s programs as well as music variety programs, situation comedies, and drama series in the evenings. The networks also schedule weekend public service programs. Local stations schedule variety and talk programs, carry syndicated radio shows (sent to them on records), and play recorded music. Ratings companies develop to measure programs’ popularity. Many of the actors on the radio shows become major stars the many of the shows being aired last for years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRp2u8d7lrg

Early 1930s Radio Broadcasting

1930—1930

First In-Car Radio

The first in-car radio appeared in 1930. The first branded as Motorola, it cost $130 for the basic model and $540 for the deluxe model.

1934—1934

The Federal Communications Act

The Federal Communications Act of 1934 turns the Federal Radio Commission into a larger Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Act also held that the spectrum on which radio waves are broadcast constitute a public resource, and in return for the use of this resource, the FCC retained the right to make certain demands of broadcasters. The FCC is empowered to review station activities and revoke their licenses if they are not operating in “the public interest, convenience and necessity.” The law does not spell out the meaning of this phrase, and the revocation of a license is extremely rare.

1933—1939

Frequency Modulation (FM) Radio

Columbia University engineer Edwin Armstrong invents frequency modulation (FM) radio. From the start, leading radio executives realized that the static-free sound of FM was far superior to the sound produced by the AM (amplitude modulation) technology upon which existing radio transmitters and sets were based. Broadcasters worried that their huge investment in AM would be threatened if they developed FM as a substitute. They also worried that the development of a whole new set of FM stations would reduce their profits by dividing both audiences and advertising money. So they pressured the FCC to stall the allocation of FM radio stations. The companies that have FM stations simply use them to simulcast their AM programming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7W81WCb4yg

Tribute to Armstrong and History of FM

1945—1945

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

NBC Blue is sold and becomes the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Over time, ABC becomes a radio and television broadcast powerhouse.

1947—1947

Transistor Radio

The transistor is invented as a smaller and more efficient replacement for the Audion vacuum tube. The invention leads to the minimization of radio receivers. Now radio is something that people can literally take with them throughout the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdEG_5zIsks

Invention of the Transistor

1948—1950

Radio Networks Become Television Networks

NBC, CBS, and ABC begin to shift the profits of their radio networks into building television networks. Some of radio’s biggest stars—Jack Benny, George Burns, Ed Wynne—moved their programs to TV, and a number of other entertainers—Milton Berle, Sid Caesar—become major celebrities as a result of the television. Advertisers follow these stars and begin purchasing ad spots on TV.

1950—1959

Music Takes Over the Radio

Audiences and advertisers leave network radio for television. Local radio stations begin to program specific types of music to reach audiences. “Rock and Roll” stations aimed at the growing teen market become popular. Local radio stations thrive as transistor radios allow people to listen to radio music virtually everywhere. Suddenly, the medium had a new life, and companies rushed to get new radio licenses from the FCC. The number of stations jumps dramatically, from about 1,000 in 1946 to nearly 3,500 in the mid-1950s.

1952—1952

First FM Appears in Car Radios

The first car radio with FM is introduced, well before the rise of more FM stations and still during the AM radio wave dominance.

1965—1965

FM Radio Separates Itself From AM Radio

The FCC passes rule that prohibits companies from simulcasting more than 50 percent of their AM broadcasts on their FM stations. FM stations, looking for things to play and not having many commercials, developed formats that played long cuts of songs or even entire albums, an approach that AM stations resisted. Many listeners migrated to FM; they liked the music and the static-free sound.

1970—2016

Programming for Specific Audiences

Radio stations increasingly tailor their programming for audience of particular social categories. Industry consultants helped station executives relate particular social categories (age, race, gender, ethnicity) to particular formats (album-oriented rock, Top 40, middle of the road, country, and multiple variations of these) to signal to people scanning the airwaves whether or not a station was for them.

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Modern Car Radio Interface

1979—1979

The Walkman

Sony releases the Walkman, a portable cassette player. Sony also releases a compact and extremely lightweight headset for the player. The Walkman represented the first major outdoor competition with portable radio. People could buy or create cassette tapes and play them while walking, bike riding, or reading. By 1995, total production of the various Walkman models reached 150 million units.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs5FqAisIJc&list=PL27D87F839C13E92E

Sony Walkman- Design Classics (series of three films)

1993—1993

Internet Talk Radio

Carl Malamud creates the first internet talk radio station, calling it “Internet Talk Radio.” It is the first of several pioneering activities of the 1990s that experiment with streaming audio.

1996—1996

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Congress passes the Telecommunications Act of 1996. eliminating the cap on nationwide radio station ownership and deregulating the market substantially. This sparked the creation of large radio conglomerates, most notably Clear Channel Communications, which controlled large proportions of radio advertising in markets across the country.

1999—2000

Satellite Radio

The first satellite radio companies, Satellite CD Radio (the precursor to Sirius Satellite Radio) and XM Satellite radio, develop, raising money to launch satellites into orbit shortly after the year 2000.

2000—2000

Pandora

Pandora streaming radio founded. Through this free streaming service, users can have Pandora generate their own “stations” by selecting artists that they like and providing feedback (“thumbs up” or “thumbs down”) on the songs the program puts on your station. While the station is free, users do have to listen to commercials every so often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNWCyn9TTFc

Pandora: An Inside Look at the New Service

2001—2001

Rhapsody Music

Rhapsody Music allows people to choose their music. Similar to Pandora, except users have to pay a subscription fee to use Rhapsody. In exchange for paying for the fee, there are no commercials). Rhapsody also offers the opportunity for users to download music on the spot with the click of their mouse, for a discounted rate. The service also allows you to create custom playlists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW92gd24K60

Explaining the Rhapsody Internet Service

2002—2002

HD Radio

The FCC adopts the iBiquity version of HD radio for operation in the United States.

2007—2007

Sirius XM Radio

Sirius and XM Satellite Radio merge into a single entity, Sirius XM Radio.

2008—2008

iHeartRadio

Clear Channel creates iHeartRadio, an internet radio platform that aggregates content from hundreds of stations nationwide. This is the first foray of a large radio company into the increasingly competitive world of streaming radio. This service allows users to create custom radio stations, with links to hundreds of existing popular radio stations under the Clear Channel umbrella.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhQSr2SugXA

What is iHeartRadio?

2008—2016

Copyright Royalties

Numerous associations concerned with protecting music-publishing and online interests come to an agreement about royalties for streaming and downloads to a limited number of devices. The compromise is the beginning of a long process involving the Copyright Royalty Board, the courts, and Congress to calculate how much audio-streaming sites should pay to publishers, and whether that should be higher than the amount radio broadcasters pay.

2015—2015

Radio Stations Remain Popular

There are 15,455 licensed radio stations in the U.S.

2015—2015

Sirius XM Radio experiences growth

Eight years after the merger, Sirius XM radio claims a larger audience than any other radio broadcasting company in America, with 28.4 million subscribers.

2015—2015

Spotify

Spotify, the internet streaming music service, hits 20 million paid subscribers and 75 million active users.

2018—2018

iHeartMedia Files for Bankruptcy

Flat advertising revenues and large debt force iHeartMedia to file for Chapter 11.

1790—1799

Introduction of Magic Lanterns

Magicians and other performers use the magic lantern, an early projection system, in shows. Those performances use slides to project mystical pictures onto smoke rising from canisters in darkened theaters. This activity was a predecessor to the projection of movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuM-aoaJHGk

1790’s: An 18th-Century Motion Picture: Carmontelle’s Figures Walking in a Parkland

1800—1815

The Illusion of Drawings Moving

Inventors create devices that make still drawings appear to move. The approach involves preparing a series of drawings of objects in which each drawing is slightly different from the one before it. When the drawings are made to move quickly, it appears to the viewer that the objects are moving. This early motion-picture process foreshadowed the one used in the creation of filmed “movies,” especially filmed animation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKJqeJ48CPs

A Brief History of Film: An Animated Documentary

1878—1878

Multiple Camera Motion

In California, photographer Eadweard Muybridge becomes the first successful photographer to capture motion, recording a galloping horse using multiple cameras. He sets up twenty-four cameras close to one another at a racetrack to capture the movement of a horse as it runs by. Muybridge later continues his stop-motion photography work at the University of Pennsylvania, where he explores the mechanics of movement. His work influences Thomas Edison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEqccPhsqgA

First Race Horse Film Ever 1878 Eadweard Muybridge

1889—1889

The Kinetoscope

Under the direction of his employer Thomas Edison, William Dickson invents a moving-picture device called Kinetoscope. The Kinetoscope projected the movie in a box designed for the motion picture to be viewed individually. Edison and Dickson used the flexible photographic film developed by George Eastman and managed to create the illusion of a moving object within the device. This marks the beginning of the motion picture as we know it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twQmAR7mUAU

Edison’s Kinetoscope-Museu de Cinema

1894—1894

Commercial Exhibition

Edison invites people to use Kinetoscopes for a fee in New York City. It is the first commercial exhibition of motion pictures in history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmZ4VPmhAkw

Edison Kinetoscope Films: 1894-1896

1895—1895

Louis and Auguste Lumière

Louis and Auguste Lumière patent a combination movie camera and projector. The Lumières train people around the world to show their movies using their equipment and they focus on documenting “real life,” such ass treet scenes and parades. The projection of movies is initially scorned by Edison, but he soon changes his mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q_SgMvTO-o

Cinematograph Lumiere-Museu de Cinema

1896—1896

The Edison Vitascope

Edison buys the rights to a projector invented by Thomas Armat and Charles Francis Jenkins and calls it the Edison Vitascope. Edison arranges for its public debut on April 23, 1896, in New York City. When the Vitascope premiers, the sensation of the evening is a film titled Rough Sea at Dover, made by Robert Paul. The view of waves crashing on Dover Beach is so realistic that people in the front rows actually shrink back in their seats, fearful of getting wet. Motion picture projection begins to take hold in the U.S.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CFjDwtrQNw

Rough Sea at Dover

1902—1902

Voyage to the Moon

Georges Méliès produces Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon), a silent movie that becomes the earliest example of science fiction in film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDaOOw0MEE

Voyage to the Moon/Le Voyage Dans la Lune (1902)

1903—1903

The Great Train Robbery

Edwin S. Porter was a pioneer of early film editing. When moving pictures were first invented in the 1890s, a reel of film lasted approximately one minute. Early filmmaking practice was simply to point the camera at a scene, either outside or in a studio such as Thomas Edison and William Kennedy Laurie Dickson’s “the Black Maria,” and roll film until the film ran out. Whatever footage was shot was the moving picture, or “movie” for short. Georges Méliès took filmmaking a step forward by crafting individual scenes as vignettes (brief incidents or sketches), each of which lasted several minutes. These vignettes were then spliced together to form the larger film story that took roughly fifteen minutes to tell. Porter took filmmaking another giant leap forward with his work in film editing. He reduced film to its smallest possible element: the shot. By dividing a film into single units of shots instead of larger units of scenes or even whole reels of film, Porter maximized the medium’s stylistic and narrative potential.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69grwvuVEec&feature=player_embedded

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

1900—1910

Popularity Increase for Nickelodeons

Popularity of movie theaters (nickelodeons) grows in the United States, particularly among immigrants. The immigrants streaming into the United States from eastern and southern Europe in the early 1900s are especially attracted to nickelodeons—not only because of their low cost (a nickel) , but also because the doesn’t require much English knowledge. Stories are told through mime, with title cards inserted into the films at special moments to tell viewers what is going on.

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Man Looking into a Nickelodeon Film Machine

1908—1908

Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC)

The Edison company encourages formation of the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) (also known as the Movie Trust, the Edison Trust, or simply the Trust). It attempts to gain complete control of the motion-picture industry in the United States, primarily through control of patents.

1915—1915

The MPPC Dissolves

The Supreme Court rules that the MPPC violates antitrust laws and must cease its activities. This dissolution of the trust opens the road to competitors to the MPPC members and ultimately allows a new firms making films in Hollywood to control the industry.

1915—1915

Censorship in Entertainment

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that movies are “entertainment” and so are not protected by the First Amendment’s free-speech guarantees. The rule encourages states and cities to ban objectionable movies or to require the studios to edit them in certain ways. Fearing an overwhelming number of different editing requirements, leading industry executives move toward self-regulation aimed to head off such censorship activities.

1915—1915

Birth of a Nation

Film Birth of a Nation, directed by W.D. Griffith, is released. Originally titled The Clansmen, the film Birth of a Nation was a controversial, but commercially successful film. The film techniques and captivating nature of this 3 hour film led to it being the first motion picture shown at the White House. Griffiths released Fall of a Nation in 1916—the first sequel in movie history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9UPOkIpR0A

Birth of a Nation by W.D. Griffith Trailer

1920—1929

Vertical Integration

Several of the major Hollywood production and distribution firms—MGM, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Twentieth Century Fox—also own (or are owned by) large theater chains. This ownership structure is called vertical integration. It allows the movie companies to be sure they will be able to place the products they create in major theaters of major cities.

1920—1929

The Studio System

The major Hollywood production and distribution firms—Paramount, MGM, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros., Columbia, and Universal—develop the “studio system,” which features long-term contracts for film stars, high production values and centralized creative control by studios. The studio system helps cement the power of the major producer-distributors. It is comprised of two elements: (1) a “star system” through which the place actors under contract and cultivate their careers; and (2) an A and B movie system, through which expensively produced movies (A pictures) garner prestige and less expensive ones bring profits. Through an activity called “block booking,” theaters receive A pictures only if they agree to accept the studio’s B pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JzgQQrB3qY

The Big Picture-Hollywood History 101-Part 1

1922—1922

The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA)

The major studios form the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. By creating a movie “code” accepted by the major studios, the MPPDA manages to stave off government regulation and keep the studios in control of their products. It also sets a precedent for self-regulation in other media industries, including radio, television, and comic books.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_RTnd3Smy8

Kodak 1922 Kodachrome Film Test

1926—1926

First Silhouette Animation Feature

Lotte Reninger created The Adventures of Prince Achmed using a technique involving silhouette cutouts. It took her five years to create the film, which had a total crew of five.

1927—1927

The Jazz Singer

Warner Bros. studios risks a lot of money experimenting with sound in movies and releases The Jazz Singer. The Jazz Singer is the first full-length movie to incorporate speaking and singing actors. The film’s success leads the other major studios to rush to adopt sound for their motion pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIaj7FNHnjQ

Clips from The Jazz Singer: “Mammy” Al Jolson (The Jazz Singer performance)

1937—1937

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Disney. This is the first feature-length animated film and marks the first time a film’s soundtrack and movie-related merchandise was available to further bolster profits from the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kWr9e4JN5I

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Original Theatrical Trailer #1) 1937

1941—1941

Citizen Kane

Release of Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles. Though Welles was only 25 when the film preleased, the techniques he employed changed how films were created for years to come. Welles was 23 years old and had never made or starred in a Hollywood film before he did Citizen Kane-he had gained his celebrity doing radio programs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyv19bg0scg

Citizen Kane The Theatrical Trailer

1942—1942

War Propaganda Films

Release of war propaganda films Why We Fight directed by Frank Capra in response to Leni Reifenstahl’s Triumph of the Will. This series of films by director Frank Capra (later famous for It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr Smith Goes to Washington) and commissioned by the U.S. War Department demonstrates early use of the film medium as a way to change public opinion. At the time of these films, the American public was not supportive of involvement in the war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBtdTiHsQqI

Why We Fight #1-Prelude to War

1948—1948

Antitrust Lawsuit Settled

The U.S. Justice Department settles an antitrust suit against Paramount, Warner, MGM, and Fox. The settlement forces the firms to split off their production and distribution divisions from the theaters where the films are exhibited. The agreement opens the major studios to competition with some independent production and distribution firms who now have access to theaters they could not enter when the major studios owned them.

1950—1950

Winchester ‘73

Release of Winchester ’73 by director Anthony Mann. The film was the first time an actor acted independent of the studio he was contracted to. Jimmy Stewart broke his contract with MGM and did a movie with Universal Studios for a smaller salary, but the condition that his salary be tied to the gross profit of the film. This is now standard practice in Hollywood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCu1RKphgos

Winchester ’73 Trailer

1950—1950

Sunset Boulevard

Release of Sunset Boulevard by director Billy Wilder. First film to blend fiction and non-fiction and incorporate the realities of film-making into an actual film. The film features scenes involving the actual Paramount Studios and legendary directors Cecil B. DeMille, and Erich von Stroheim. As such, the film offers commentary on the new Hollywood Studio system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j8JXbV7JWI

Sunset Blvd. (1950) Trailer

1950—1955

Fear of Television

The major movie studios refuse to sell old movies to television or to make programs for TV. Movie executives declare that the audience will soon tire of the small screen and go back to the movie theater. It doesn’t work. By the late 1950s the movie majors realize television is here for good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNugTWHnSfw

The first movie shown on primetime TV was The Wizard of Oz (1939) on November 3, 1956

1950—1959

Surge in Television Viewing

By the late 1950s, about 90% of U.S. households own at least one television set. Among other reasons, the great surge in television viewing leads to a great drop in movie attendance. Realizing that creating a steady stream of A and B pictures is no longer viable, the major studios release far A pictures and mostly cease production of B pictures for the theaters. They dismantle the system that cultivated and controlled actors and actresses within the studio system. They also try to lure audiences back with wide screen technologies such as Cinemascope and Todd-AO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkXHyOD2BQM

Early Television-“Magic in the Air” 1955

1952—1952

First Amendment Protection

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1915 ruling and states that movies are entitled to First Amendment protection, marking the beginning of the decline of American film censorship. This decision leads producers and directors increasingly to ignore the motion picture association Hays Code and to compete with television industry, which has essentially adopted the code. Motion picture producers increasingly turn out pictures with scenes of violence, sex, addiction, and other subjects.

1953—1953

Widescreen Technology – The Robe

Release of The Robe, directed by Henry Koster. In direct response to the film industry’s growing concerns about losing customers to the increasingly popular television, Hollywood developed the anamorphic widescreen technology—making widescreen, colourful movies the new standard and distancing themselves from the black and white small TV screens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN1gya6cqUc

The Robe (1953) Clip

1954—1954

Disneyland Available for Television

The Walt Disney movie studio sells a TV series, Disneyland, to the ABC Television Network. Though Disneyland is not a movie (it distributes its films through one of the majors), this step is nevertheless a major break in Hollywood’s refusal to sell content to television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIrq3RFUQPU

The Disneyland Story-Part 1

1955—1955

Cheyenne

Warner Bros. becomes the first major movie studio to create an original series, Cheyenne, for a television network, ABC. This is the beginning of the major Hollywood firms’ relation with television. Apart from selling the networks and stations old movies, the studios sell them series—essentially what used to be the B pictures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H_5PmY6Odg

Cheyenne (Episode 1) “Mountain Fortress”

1960—1960

Television ownership increases

87% of U.S. households own at least one television set, up considerably from just 9 percent of households in 1950.

1971—1971

The Video Cassette Recorder

The video cassette recorder (VCR) is introduced. It creates the movie rental industry. It also creates industry worries that criminals will copy the cassettes and sell them. This concern marks the beginning of large-scale concerns about piracy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHHSs_ilMDg

TV Commercial for the Sony Betamax VCR#1 1977

1973—1973

Westworld

Westworld becomes the first feature film to use computer-generated imagery (CGI).

1975—1975

Jaws

This was the first movie to be marketed to the mass public through a series of primetime TV ads ahead of the nationwide release of the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONdwZEqUYt0

Jaws (1975) TV Spot

1977—1977

Star Wars

Release of Star Wars directed and written by George Lucas. Not only was the film wildly successful and profitable, but because Twentieth Century Fox could not foresee the success of this film, they allowed Lucas to keep 40% of merchandising rights in exchange for a smaller director’s salary. The profits on merchandise from the Star Wars franchise brought in millions of dollars—merchandising rights are now an important part of movie contracts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP_1T4ilm8M

Star Wars (1977) Original Trailer

1970—1989

Emergence of Cable Television

The spread of cable television in American life creates a new venue for movies after their theatrical release. Movie companies develop the concept of “windows” for post-theatrical distribution.

1980—1999

Emergence of Multi-Media Conglomerates

Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Universal, and Columbia become part of major international multi-media conglomerates. The conglomerates see their most important movies as major popular-culture events that start in theaters, cross many media, and result in spinoffs such as toys, clothes, books, and motion-picture sequels.

1995—1995

Toy Story

Pixar’s Toy Story becomes the first computer-animated feature film.

1994—1994

International Box Office Success

The amount of box office money the U.S.-based major studios received from outside the U.S. exceeds the amount they receive within the U.S. for the first time. Increasingly, Hollywood movie firms consider international prospects of a film as critical to its success.

1999—1999

The Blair Witch Project

Release of the Blair Witch Project, directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick. This marks the first time a film used the web for movie promotion and marketing, which led to a gross profit of $248 million with only $1 million spent on marketing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D51QgOHrCj0

Blair Witch Project Trailer

2000—2005

Rising Interest in Documentaries

Documentary films rise in popularity as a commercial genre.

2004—2004

Documentary Wins Palm d’Or at Cannes

Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 wins the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The documentary offers a scathing critique of the U.S. government’s handling of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The documentary is only the second to win the Palm d’Or, out of a total three documentaries that had ever played at the festival up to this date.

2009—2009

Avatar

Paramount releases James Cameron’s Avatar in 3D, which becomes the highest-grossing film of all time, earning over 2.8 billion gross worldwide. The popularity of Avatar in 3D—especially outside the U.S.—encourages the major studios to release an increasing number of movies in 3D. Estimated production costs are between $280 and $310 million plus $150 for marketing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdxXPV9GNQ

Avatar Trailer-The Movie

2012—2012

100 Years of Studios

Major studies Paramount and Universal Studios mark their 100th anniversary in the industry.

2015—2015

Jurassic World

Jurassic World sets a record for the biggest global box office weekend in history, pulling in $524.1 million in a single weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFinNxS5KN4

Jurassic World Trailer

2015—Now

#OscarssoWhite Calls Attention to Lack of Diversity in the Academy

The Oscar nominations for the 2014 season sparked an uproar that resulted in the hashtag campaign #oscarssowhite, which calls attention to the voters, nominees, and the winners. This campaign resulted in the Academy increasing its efforts for a more diverse representation, first doubling the number of women and then doubling the diverse members.

2016—2016

AMC Acquires Carmike

AMC Entertainment, owned by Dalian Wanda Group, acquires Carmike Cinemas. They now control one out of five U.S. movie theaters.

2017—2017

Domestic Down, International Up

Domestic theater attendance fell to lowest point since 1992, but global box office revenue is up.

2017—2017

Streaming Services Win Oscars

For the first time, streaming services Netflix and Amazon won Oscars for their productions.

2021—2021

IATSE Strike

IATSE, or the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, threatened to strike. The group sought a higher base wage, better off-hours between shifts, and more appropriate pay for streaming shows. The group managed to avoid a complete strike, even though members overwhelmingly approved it.

2021—2021

Disney Sued for Streaming and Theatrical Release

In summer 2021, Disney released Black Widow in theaters and on its streaming service, Disney+ at the same time. Star Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for breaching contract for an exclusive theater release, which Johansson had salary benefits tied to the theatrical revenues and benchmarks. Releasing on streaming would cut into those revenues. The lawsuit was settled out of court.

1879—1879

Optimism in the UK for the Broadcast of Moving Images

The British humor magazine Punch publishes a picture of a couple watching a remote tennis match via a screen above their fireplace. Artists and intellectuals conceive of the possibility that moving images will be transmitted to the home.

1882—1882

Optimism in France for the Broadcast of Moving Images

A French artist drew a family of the future watching a war on a home screen. Artists and intellectuals conceive of the possibility that moving images will be transmitted to the home.

1884—1884

Scanning Disk System

Paul Nipkow invents a scanning disk system to try to capture images wirelessly. His technology would influence the work of John Logie Baird and others in their pursuit of the best ways to transmit television images.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbbi2DP8XzU

Nipkow Spiral Disk

1907—1907

First Use of the Word, “Television”.

Scientific American magazine uses the word “television.” A vocabulary is developing to describe this future medium. Click on the links below for more information on the origins of “television”:

1925—1925

John Logie Baird

John Logie Baird successfully transmits the first television picture with a grayscale image. His continuing inventions would lead to a company to develop television and work with the BBC to transmit TV signals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ZSXPMlumc

John Logie Baird 1937

1928—1928

Broadcasting in the U.S. and U.K.

Stations in New York and Washington, D.C., begin a limited array of live broadcasts, while in London the BBC had five-day-a-week programming by 1930. Following Baird, this television technology uses a whirring mechanical disk to scan the broadcast images. The mechanical technique has many drawbacks.

1931—1931

Transmission of Television Signals

Vladimir Zworykin, employed by RCA and working with other inventors’ designs, develops the first successful electronic system for transmitting television signals. This electronic approach, using the cathode-ray tube, would eventually become the standard instead of the mechanical approach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W40OktedXik

Zworykin on the Invention of Television

1935—1938

Nazi Germany

First regular TV service operates in Nazi Germany. This system sends propaganda messages to specially equipped theaters, rather than to sets in people’s homes. International interest in the mechanical TV technology is high.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMecO38MZCc

Television broadcasting in The Third Reich

1936—1936

The BBC

The BBC begins regular electronic TV broadcasts in London. Broadcasts are on air four hours a day from 1936-1939, with around 12,000-15,000 receivers, many in pubs. This leads to international interest in the mechanical TV technology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOQCA0r1PZk

75 Years of BBC TV-History of the BBC

1938—1938

RCA’s Electronic TV Technology

RCA introduces a television that scans images electronically rather than mechanically. Variations on this electronic rather than mechanical TV technology are the one that the world ultimately adopts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jApD3VIZu_4

Television 1939 RCA Early Introduction to TV

1939—1939

The Birth of Television

RCA begins regular broadcasting during the formal ceremonies at the World’s Fair in New York. It appears then that TV will soon be a reality. However, development of television broadcasting is largely halted due to U.S. involvement in World War II (1941-45). In introducing the new medium during formal ceremonies at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, President Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to appear on TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4hPX_PLC-o

Retro TV-Birth of TV at World’s Fair

1946—1946

Beginning of Commercial Broadcasting

Commercial broadcasting begins in earnest in the U.S., controlled by the firms that own major radio networks, NBC, CBS, and later ABC.

1948—1952

Freezing of TV Licenses

FCC declares a freeze on new TV licenses. This is done in order to review its standards for television. It decides to use the desirable very high frequency (VHF) band of frequencies for channels 2 through 13, and an ultra high frequency (UHF) band of frequencies for channels 14 through 83.

1950—1960

Increase in Television Sets

The U.S. sees a rapid uptake of television sets: just 9% of homes had one in 1950, 87% by 1960.

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TV Set, Circa 1959

1949—1955

The Golden Age of TV

The major LA-area (Hollywood) movie studios refuse to sell movies or create programs for television. In the early 1960s they predict Americans will tire of the black-and-white box and return to the theaters. The TV networks decide that TV programs will originate in New York and air live. As during the heyday of radio, advertisers sponsor entire shows and their advertising agencies produce them. Critics look back on this era as the ‘golden age’ of TV, marked by original dramas written by high-quality talent such as Paddy Chayefsky (Marty), Rod Serling (Requiem for a Heavyweight) and Gore Vidal (Visit to a Small Planet).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ7ND1o2OJA

Clip from Requiem for a Heavyweight

1950—1950

The Beginning of the Cable Industry

First community cable TV system is implemented in Lansford, PA. This activity marks the beginning of the cable television industry, initially called the Community Antenna Television. This first system allowed the town to pick up broadcast signals from far-away cities, and then transmit them to people’s homes via coaxial cable.

1951—1951

I Love Lucy

I Love Lucy is the first scripted situation comedy to be shot on film in front of an audience. Starring Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy is an enormous hit with audiences on CBS television. Movie and network executives are quick to recognize the advantages of having a hit on film, as it can be aired over and over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq4Abm-_U4Y

“I Love Lucy” 50th Anniversary Favorite Episodes-Part1

1954—1954

Army-McCarthy Hearings and Murrow’s Response

The Army-McCarthy hearings attempted to out people suspected of Communist affiliations or sympathies during the red scare. Joseph R. McCarthy, a senator from Wisconsin, was zealous in his pursuit of people, though he often accused without evidence to support his accusations. Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly used their news show See It Now to expose McCarthy using his own words in an episode airing March 9, 1954. The episode exposed the Senator as a fraud and a bully.

1955—1962

TV Programs Go to Hollywood

Warner Bros. sells a package of Westerns to the ABC television network for prime-time broadcasting. The sale marks the start of the major Hollywood studios’ relationship with the TV networks. Over the next few years, the major studios will become deeply involved in television program production. In general, production of television shows moves from New York to Hollywood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZoHpG9dxDY

Cheyenne Nervous Barber

1950—2016

Nielsen Ratings

The A.C. Nielsen company’s rating system audits program viewing through an “audiometer” attached to the TV sets in a sample of American households. The ratings become the ultimate designators of program popularity. TV network, station, and advertising executives use the Nielsen ratings to determine whether programs should continue or be canceled.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4jyhQnl5Vo

Nielsen Ratings 101: Introduction

1957—1963

Changes to the Advertising Model

Especially in prime time (the evening), the major networks change their advertising model from full sponsorship (one advertiser supporting a program) to participating (inviting multiple advertisers to support a program). Rather than owning programs and fully sponsoring them, advertisers now can buy the right to advertise within shows that the network owns or leases. The new approach helps the networks because it gives them more control over their schedules so that they can plan to maximize advertisers’ ability to buy time on various programs, thereby reaching people at different times and on different networks.

1960—1969

Power of Broadcasting Companies

NBC, CBS, and ABC develop enormous power over broadcast television. They do it by implementing a strategy of vertical integration, controlling production, distribution, and exhibition for much of their programming. They control production by insisting that many of the production firms from which they purchase shows give them part ownership of the programs before they air. They control distribution through their ownership of powerful networks and through their insistence on controlling syndication: the licensing of programs they air to local stations (after their prime time run) and to TV systems around the world. And they control exhibition by owning stations in the largest U.S. population centers. This power of the networks over programming concerns critics who argue that the networks are creating a sameness for television with the goal of selling the largest possible number of people to advertisers for each program. Producers also complain to the FCC. They argue the government should prohibit the networks’ requirement to share ownership and syndication rights with networks if they want the show to air.

1970—1970

Federal Regulations

Listening to critics of network power, government agencies establish prime time access and financial syndication (fin-syn) rules, aimed at curtailing the power of the major TV networks. The FCC encourages independent producers by forcing the networks to stop supplying programming to local stations for a half hour of evening programming (typically 7:30-8) during prime time. In addition the Justice department prohibits ABC, NBC, and CBS from owning most of the entertainment programming they air, and it limits their involvement in producing shows for syndication. The hope is to encourage new producers to participate in the television system. In actuality, the 7:30-8 slot becomes a place for inexpensive quiz and reality shows that local stations purchase instead of producing their own public affair programs.

1972—1972

Expansion of Cable TV

The Federal government allows the expansion of cable television into metropolitan areas and for it to carry original programming. Until now, the government has protected broadcasters from competition from cable companies by not allowing them to do more than act as antenna services for the broadcasters in communities that cannot receive good broadcast signals. This expansion of cable TV’s mandate opens a new era in television.

1976—1976

Satellite Communication

The U.S. government allows businesses to use satellite communication. These activities mark the beginning of nationally distributed programming specifically to cable television subscribers. Time Incorporated begins to send its relatively new Home Box Office (HBO) pay-movie service to cable companies via satellite. At around the same time, Ted Turner arranges for his local Atlanta television station to be sent to cable systems around the country via satellite. He suspects he will increase his advertising revenues that way.

1979—1979

Increase in Broadcast Stations

New FCC rules result in an increase in the number of UHF broadcast stations. Airing mostly old TV shows, movies, and sports, these stations managed to garner high enough Nielsen ratings and find enough advertisers to sustain themselves. Eventually, many will become part of the Fox Television Network.

1979—1979

Nickelodeon

Warner Cable Communications launches Nickelodeon children’s cable network. This channel provides a reason for families with young children to subscribe to cable TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tBFmMkQxs8

Nickelodeon Promos 1979

1980—1980

CNN

Ted Turner founds CNN, a 24-hour cable news network. The first such network, CNN revolutionizes news coverage with its emphasis on showing breaking news live.

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CNN Center

1981—1981

MTV

A joint venture between Warner Communications and American Express launches Music Television (MTV). Originally playing entirely music videos, the network had a profound influence on the music industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBf0yJVMSzI

MTV Original Broadcast 8/1/1981

1986—1986

The Fox Network

Rupert Murdoch launches the Fox Network. The number of independent TV broadcasters around the United States is great enough to convince media mogul Rupert Murdoch that he could accomplish a feat no one had been able to do since the 1950s: start a fourth network that could compete seriously with the Big Three. On the strength of a popular Saturday morning children’s line-up and quirky, youth-oriented evening programs, it managed to draw advertisers and become a permanent TV fixture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgw0D2wYtZA

Rupert Murdoch-The Life and Times of a Media Mogul

1994—1994

Satellite TV

DirecTV begins direct-to-home satellite services, followed by the Dish network in 1996. Originally a substitute for cable in rural areas where it wasn’t available, satellite TV carried up to 150 channels to a plate-sized receiver on a subscriber’s house. It further expands Americans’ choices and numbers of television signals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaCTLWTqWhQ

Direct TV Commercial 1998

1996—1996

Conglomeration

Disney buys ABC. It is part of a conglomeration taking place in the media system. Around the same time, Viacom purchases CBS, only to separate from it some years later.

1999—1999

DVRs

The first Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), which allow viewers to record shows for later viewing, pause live TV, and skip commercials, are introduced.

1999—1999

Netflix

Netflix begins offering its subscription-based DVD-by-mail service.

2007—2007

Quarterlife

Quarterlife, a series produced by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick about twenty-something artists, appears in eight minute segments on MySpace and its own site. Quarterlife is indicative of early attempts to create television programming for the internet. The Quarterlife website claims the program was the first Internet series to have been created with a website that facilitated social-network discussions of the show. Briefly in 2008, NBC television aired web episodes stitched together as hourly programs. Some of those episodes also showed up on NBC and Hulu websites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9ZimvNBeIo

“Quarterlife” Part I

2008—2008

Hulu

NBC, ABC, and Fox launch Hulu, a platform for distributed their shows online. Supported by ads, the networks consider it a way to gain a foothold in the online distribution of their programs.

2010—2010

HBO GO

HBO launches its GO service to allow subscribers to access its programs when connected to the internet. This spurs others in the television industry to launch services for cable or satellite subscribers that allow them to receive programs “everywhere.”

2011—2011

Comcast

Comcast buys a controlling interest of NBC-Universal from General Electric. The purchase makes Comcast the largest media firm, and it gives a large cable firm leverage over one of the key distributors of the programs it carries.

2013—2013

Video On-Demand

Cable video on demand (VOD) grows in popularity, helping cable companies keep subscribers and offering hundreds of thousands of new viewers for network shows.

2015—2015

Cord Cutting

The success of online video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO GO leads to a 20 percent drop in traditional TV viewership by young adults since 2011.

Shutterstock: 372001138

2015—2015

Rise of Non-Linear TV Viewing

76 percent of American households DVR, subscribe to Netflix, or use VOD service through a cable provider

2017—2017

FCC Eliminates Media Cross-Ownership Ban

FCC reverses a 1975 rule banning a single media company from owning a newspaper and a broadcast stations (radio or television) in the same local market.

2018—2018

Non-Broadcast Networks Sweep Emmys

Netflix (with 7), HBO (with 6) and Amazon (with 5) the major winners of Emmy awards with traditional broadcast (ABC, NBC, CBS) programming winning only 2 awards.

2020—2020

Even More Streaming Services

In 2020, even more streaming services joined the already crowded field, including Peacock, HBO Max, and Quibi. Netflix and Hulu still dominate streaming, with Disney+ coming in third for 2020.

2021—2021

Sinclair Media Becomes Fortune 500 Company

In 2021 Sinclair Media became a Fortune 500 company. The media group owns 193 stations across the U.S. South and Midwest. It is considered the largest broadcast company in the U.S., though many are unaware of it.

1931—1931

Coin-Operated Pinball Machines

"David Gottlieb introduces the first coin operated pinball machines. Using a spring ball launcher, the player hopes to rack up the most points by hitting various elements on the board. Pinball machines become part of the attractions of entertainment arcades—commercial locations featuring coin-operated machines such as fortune tellers and shooter games."

Couple Enjoying a Pinball Game

1947—1947

Humpty Dumpty Pinbal Game

Gottlieb introduces Humpty Dumpty pinball game. It is the first pinball game to add player-controlled flippers to keep the ball in play longer and added a skill factor to the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtFjyrN4Q40

1948—1948

Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

Goldsmith and Mann develop a ‘cathode ray tube amusement device’ on which knobs and buttons are used to simulate firing a missile onscreen. They receive the first patent for a device that pointed to the possibility of video gaming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_WUb-1C010

1958—1958

The First Video Game

Scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory set up a video tennis game, an early percursor to Pongand the first video game designed to be played on a display screen. This game used an oscilloscope and two simple controllers to simulate hitting a ball over a net, and was displayed for play during the institution’s annual visitors’ day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PG2mdU_i8k

1961—1961

Spacewar!

MIT students create Spacewar! The first influential video game, in which two players controlled spacecraft which fired missiles at each other. The game was distributed widely amongst early computer enthusiasts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmvb4Hktv7U

1971—1971

Galaxy Game

Coin-operated Galaxy Game, the first commercial video game, is installed in Stanford University's student union.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVprIIDDLYY

1972—1972

Atari and Pong

Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney found Atari and create Pong. It is the first successful U.S. company to create video arcade games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4VRgY3tkh0

1972—1972

Odyssey

The Magnavox company releases Odyssey. Using interchangeable cartridges, it is the first home video game console. It sells 100,000 consoles the first year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2EIsnr_cv4

1976—1976

Mattel’s Auto Race

Mattel introduces Auto Race, the first handheld electronic game device. Other companies follow with single-game handheld devices. It is not until 1979 that Milton Bradley takes the next technological step, with interchangeable games.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isejBX1Tyjk

1977—1977

Atari 2600

Atari releases its 2600 console. Atari sells over 30 million units of the console. By the early 1980s it is releasing popular titles such as Pong, Space Invaders and Pac-Man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJNbhekKShI

1978—1985

The Golden Age of Video Games

Arcade games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders peak in popularity in what is often called the “golden age of video arcade games.”

1979—1979

Video Games Increase in Popularity

Video arcade games overtake pinball machines in popularity. By 1983, there are over 1.5 million arcade machines in North America, with revenue of around $7 billion annually.

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1979—1979

Microvision

Milton Bradley develops the Microvision handheld game device. It is considered the first console with interchangeable cartridges. Though not successful commercially, it pointed the way to Nintendo’s Game Boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt5JuHMBvEw

1983—1983

Emergence of Computer Games

A major economic downturn befalls the console industry. The downturn in consoles opens the way for computer-based games. Companies sell disks that can be used on specific computers—for example the Commodore 64, the Apple II, and the IBM PC. Strategy video games and simulation video games catch on as particularly appropriate for computer play, including Dune (strategy) and SimCity (simulation).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvHcYe2sQ-I

1983—1983

Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs)

The GamBit company in Minnesota introduces Scepter of Goth, the first commercial online role-playing game in the United States. This type of game became known as as multi-user dungeons (MUDs). They are the predecessors of today’s multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs), such as World of Warcraft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgYuJczGv8o

1984—1984

Tetris

Created in Russia during what was then the U.S.S.R. by Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris is credited with launching the casual gaming industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhwNTo_Yr3k

BBC

1985—1985

Super Mario Brothers

Super Mario Brothers, released by Nintendo is often credited with saving the gaming industry after the 1983 crash due to its immense popularity. It also popularized the use of “side scrolling” video games so that the scenery and levels of the game could shift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwNrxE6Y90

1985—1985

Nintendo

Nintendo introduces the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console in the United States. With popular games such as Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda, it helps to revive the console industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePPkNSOyMes

1986—1986

The Legend of Zelda

Release of Legend of Zelda, from Nintendo. This game went on to become one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises. It introduced new features that are now standard in video games—such as the ability to save where you are and a targeting system for 3D fighting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdZ4rw5yep0

1989—1989

Game Boy

Nintendo releases the Game Boy handheld game console. It is not the first such device, but it does popularize the form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GErk7fMiatQ

1995—1995

The Playstation

Sony releases the Playstation. As the first console to used CDs rather than cartridges, it allows for greater complexity than previously, including 3D graphics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6-IRBlttoA

1996—1996

Meridian 59 and Quake

The 3DO company releases Meridian 59, the first massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG). The same year, the first-person shooter game Quake pioneered multiplayer interaction over the internet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N5VtGVmvxU

1996—1996

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Release of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. This game went on to inspire the most successful film adaptation of a video game in the history of the genre. Although Lara Croft is one of the most widely recognized heroines in gaming, the changes in her body’s appearance over the years has been the source of much controversy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkD8x9aItCs

1998—1998

Mobile Gaming

Nokia installs the game Snake on its mobile phones. This marks the beginning of mobile gaming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Mq95f7eoU

2001—2001

Halo

Release of Halo. Although it was not the first (or last) first-person shooter or game linked to an online console, it is the gold standard of this genre in the industry. The Halo franchise has also been successful with their marketing campaigns, ads, and branding outside of video games which have included partnerships with big name brands like Frito Lay, Super Bowl commercials, graphic novels, toys, an anime program, and more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4AOQkb4jNU

2004—2004

Handheld Gaming Consoles

Release of the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. These handheld consoles, especially the DS, prove popular with younger and middle-aged consumers, outside the traditional target market for video games.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOCpoow1Tz4

2004—2004

World of Warcraft

Release of World of Warcraft by Blizzard. World of Warcraft was one of the early MMOs—instead of buying the game for a console, the game was entirely online, thus, players had to pay a subscription fee to join the game. The extreme popularity of the game changed the world of MMOs forever--the game sold 2.8 million subscriptions on its first day and 4 million subscriptions by the end of the first month it was out. By 2012, there were close to 12 million subscribers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI2oieLb60k

2001—2001

XBox

Microsoft releases the first XBox. It was Microsoft's initial foray into the gaming console market.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDLEENzcTDI

2003—2003

Second Life

Linden Lab launches Second Life, a MMORPG featuring a virtual world that avatars can explore—complete with a currency with a real-world exchange rate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQkYBbM9YyM

2005—2005

Guitar Hero

Release of Guitar Hero. Packaged with a Gibson-guitar-like controller, this game launched a music-themed game cultural fad in North America. Guitar Hero has gone on to be used in educational settings and medical rehabilitation facilities.. In 2011, Activision got rid of the Guitar Hero division of the company after poor sales due greatly to the presence of more and more music-themed games.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVyWcUHPWUU

2006—2006

Nintendo Wii

Nintendo releases the Wii. Featuring a motion-sensitive controller and appealing to a wider demographic, it sells over 90 million units.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLlS0OPzzmo

2009—2009

Zynga

Zynga launches its best-known game, FarmVille, on Facebook, reaching 10 million users within six weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpPEXNtz_TY

2009—2009

Angry Birds

Finnish computer game developer Rovio Entertainment introduces Angry Birds. Rovio first released for Apple devices, but then creates versions for the Android, Symbian, and Windows Phone mobile operating systems, as well as for video game consoles and Windows desktops and laptops. According to Rovio, by 2012 1.7 billion gamers have downloaded the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BqfjGDsHUs

2010—2010

Kinect

Microsoft introduces the Kinect motion sensing input device for the Xbox 360, allowing users to interact with games without a controller. After selling a total of 8 million units in its first 60 days, the Kinect holds the Guinness World Record of being the fastest selling consumer electronics device.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzfpXAbQ61U

2012—2012

Draw Something

OMGPOP, a struggling mobile-app firm, launches Draw Something, a mobile interactive word game. Within 50 days of its release, Draw Something was downloaded 50 million times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsKsa2Omf6I

2012—2012

Zynga acquires OMGPOP

Zynga purchases OMGPOP for $180 million.

2015—2015

Gaming Subscription Services

NVIDIA releases GeForce Now, a subscription-based cloud gaming service that allows users to stream games to their devices from the digital cloud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1iKGtRwWkw

2014—2014

Amazon Buys Twitch

Amazon purchases live streaming video game playing site Twitch for $970 million.

2016—2016

Annual Video Game Spending

Global revenue on video games is $101 billion which is more than video and music sales combined.

2019—2019

Google Launches Stadia

Google launched the Stadia, a cloud-based gaming service that lets players connect the controller to their device of choice and play the games available on the service.

2020—2020

Amazon Launches Luna

Amazon launched Luna, its own cloud-based gaming service.

2020—2020

In lockdown, Polish government launches Minecraft Server

During the first COVID shutdowns of March and April 2020, the Polish government started its own Minecraft server to occupy housebound students.

2020—Now

College Esports Growing

Esports on college and university campuses have been growing quickly. More than 170 campuses have a varsity team, with some schools even building their own esports arenas. Popular games for competition include League of Legends, Overwatch, and Call of Duty.

2021—2021

Google Closes Stadia Studios

Google closed its two game-development studios connected with Stadia, though it continues to offer the cloud service.

2020—2021

CD Projekt Red Sued Over Cyberpunk 2077

After delays, Cyberpunk 2077 was released on PC, Xbox, and Playstation to much excitement from players who had waited with much anticipation. While the game worked on PC for the most part, others found the console versions nearly unplayable. Lawsuits were filed against CD Projekt Red, and one was settled out of court.