5 Communications Pioneers
- Cyrus (c. 600–530 BC)
- Aristotle (384–322 BC)
- Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400–1468)
- Claude Chappe (1763–1805)
- Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802–1875)
When we think of the field of communications, we are often dazzled by the achievements of contemporary multi-media moguls. However, what we have come to know as the world of modern communication has been built on the achievements of others as far back as the ancient empires. Below are five historical people who helped pioneer the field of communications.
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1. Cyrus (c. 600–530 BC)
Cyrus the Great founded the first Persian empire, the Achaemenid Empire. His empire extended from the Mediterranean in the west to the Indus River in the east. Among his many accomplishments, Cyrus the Great created one of the most efficient postal services in the ancient world around 540 BC. It was this reliable form of communication that facilitated the spread of the Achaemenid Empire throughout his 30-year reign and that of his successors, proving the importance of communication in the development and maintenance of empires.
2. Aristotle (384–322 BC)
Aristotle was a classical Greek philosopher and scientist who studied under Plato, founder of the ancient Academy in Athens. Aristotle is not only credited as one of the fathers of Western philosophy but is also widely renowned for his contribution to effective communication. Aristotle is celebrated for his work in rhetoric, the art of informing, persuading, or motivating others through speech. He developed the concept of the three appeals (logos, pathos, and ethos) that is still implemented by speakers, writers, and marketers today.
3. Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400–1468)
Johannes Gutenberg introduced the world to moveable type somewhere around 1439. At least that appears to be the case according to the documentation of a court case that indicated Gutenberg for being in possession of a printing press and set of metal type. Gutenberg’s presses were the beginning of mass-produced reading materials, resulting in the wide circulation of Bibles, pamphlets, and newspapers. These printed materials led to religious, political, and intellectual revolutions across the globe. Johannes Gutenberg is truly a communications pioneer.
4. Claude Chappe (1763–1805)
Claude Chappe was a French inventor who developed the first practical industrial-age telecommunications system, the semaphore system. Invented in 1792, the semaphore system is a means of communication that employees a set of towers with pivoting shutters. The pivoting shutters were used to create signals that could be relayed from one tower to the next at a distance of 5 to 20 miles, making it cheaper and faster than conventional post riders. The semaphore system would dominate distant communications until the invention of the electrical telegraph 50 years later.
5. Sir Charles Wheatstone (1802–1875)
English scientist and inventor Sir Charles Wheatstone is best known as one of the developers of the electrical telegraph. However, he played another important role in the field of communications. Wheatstone invented the Playfair cipher in 1854. The cipher was a manual symmetric encryption technique in which both parties need the key code to encrypt and decipher messages. It was designed to send secure messages along the newly invented electrical telegraph. The cipher was used by the British during World War I and World War II, leading the way for modern encryption techniques.
Through the achievements of these communications pioneers, we have been able to communicate, faster, better, and safer, to a broader audience over greater distances. The field of communications has a rich history that extends far beyond the 20th century.