Page 14 - All About History - Issue 18-14

Mass Media

Hall of Fame

MEDIA INNOVATORS
Meet those that through either new forms of writing or

sheer business ambition have helped shape the world of
the media as we know it

Johannes Gutenberg

GERMAN 1398-1468
After several financial misadventures,
German inventor Gutenberg struck Armstrong received the
goldwiththecreationofmovable-type Institute of Electrical and
printing.Hetookoutaloantorealise Electronics Engineers’ first-
hisidea,andintwoyearsGutenberg’s ever Medal of Honour in 1917
revolutionary press was in operation.
Hesetupaworkshopandbegantoprintcopiesofthe Bible
usinghisnewprintingtechnique.Thespreadofmovabletype
usheredintheeraofmasscommunication,astexts
couldbeproducedonalargescaleatarelatively
quick pace. The increased circulation of Baird
information birthed revolutionary movements also
such as the Reformation, Renaissance and the contributed to
scientific revolution. Despite the ingenuity of the development of Edwin Howard Armstrong
his creation, Gutenberg was left in debt and infra-red nighttime
hisachievementswereonlyrecognisedinthe AMERICAN 1890-1954
lastfewyearsofhislife. cameras and Inventor John Logie Baird Despite his name not being widely known, Armstrong is
fibre-optics possibly the most important figure in the history of the
with his ventriloquist dummy, massmediadevicethatisradio. Armstrong invented a
Stooky Bill
great amount of the technology used every day in modern
radio; the regenerative circuit and also the superheterodyne
John Logie Baird receiver. However, it was his invention of modern frequency
modulation,orFMradiotransmission, that left his mark on
mass media. The invention was monumental as it enabled
SCOTTISH 1888-1946
Many inventors contributed to the birth of television, transmission of a wider range of audio frequencies and
also eliminated the static that plagued AM radio. As well as
but Baird’s pioneering work has earned him a place
massively increasing the popularity of radio, Armstrong’s FM
in history. After dropping out of university, Baird wasalsousedforcommunications between NASA and their
attracted attention when he became the first person Apollo programme astronauts.
to create a live, moving greyscale television image.
Baird went on to create the first working television
set using a hatbox, a pair of scissors, darning “Just setting up
needles, bicycle lights, a tea chest and some glue.
He demonstrated his working television set to a my twttr”
crowd of impressed scientists and formed the Baird
Television Development Company. Jack Dorsey’s first tweet

Jack Dorsey cofounded Dorsey won
Twitter with Biz Stone and the Innovator
Evan Williams JACK DORSEY
of the Year Award
AMERICAN 1976-PRESENT for technology in
Dorseywasinterestedincomputersatanearlyageandbegan
programming while he was still at high school. By the time he 2012
was 15 he had already created dispatch software that is still used by
taxicabcompaniestoday.Hedroppedoutofcollegetopursuehisidea
for an instant messaging website, which later became known as Twitter. The site was
createdinjusttwoweeksandthefirsttweetwaspostedon21March 2006. Although
the site initially received harsh criticism, soon major political and media figures began
toutilisethesimplemasscommunicationtoolanditquicklybecame the centre for
communication during major worldwide and political events.

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