History of Written Word

  • 3200 BCE

    Cuneiform

    Cuneiform
    In Ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), The Cuneiform was developed. This system used wedge shaped marks pressed into clay tablets and is the earliest form of written word.
  • 3000 BCE

    Hieroglyphs

    Hieroglyphs
    In Egypt, they utilized hieroglyphs with more than 1000 characters, which were typically used for record keeping, religious texts, and monumental inscriptions.
  • Period: 3000 BCE to 1 BCE

    BCE

  • 2500 BCE

    The Indus Valley Writing System

    The Indus Valley Writing System
    The Indus valley developed their own writing system however to this day it remains undeciphered
  • 1100 BCE

    The Phoenician Alphabet

    The Phoenician Alphabet
    Many modern day alphabets emerged from the Phoenician alphabet, which served as a foundation
  • 800 BCE

    The Greek Alphabet

    The Greek Alphabet
    The Greek alphabet, including individual letters and vowels, was developed.
  • 105 BCE

    The Latin Alphabet

    The Latin Alphabet
    The Latin alphabet, which came from the Greek alphabet, was used throughout the Roman Empire
  • 100 BCE

    Paper Invented

    Paper Invented
    Paper was invented in China, which was a major turning point for writing materials
  • Period: 1400 to

    14th Century - Modern Era

  • 1440

    Printing Press Invented

    Printing Press Invented
    Johannes Gutenberg develops the printing press, which began production of books and newspapers
  • Period: to

    Modern Era - Present Day

  • Typewriter Invented

    Typewriter Invented
    The typewriter was invented, which moved along the writing process
  • First Digital Computers

    First Digital Computers
    Early computers didn't have amazing texting abilities but set a bar with basic ability to produce text
  • First Email Sent

    First Email Sent
    The first email was sent, which was the beginning of digital communication
  • Microsoft Word Released

    Microsoft Word Released
    Microsoft Word eventually became one of the biggest global word processors