4 Modern Day Technologies Born In The Greatest Country In The World

\We wanted to celebrate this patriotic holiday by celebrating a few great technology inventions that were born right here in the USA! Inventors are some of the most intelligent and creative people this world has ever come across, without their great minds this world would be a very different place. Let's take a minute to think about some of our favorite technologies that were created, born, implemented in the USA and used all across the globe!

The Telephone - Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born American scientist. Bell formed the idea in his mind for the telephone in 1874 and was granted the first U.S. patent in 1876. The idea was that if Bell could make a current of electricity vary in intensity as the air varies in density during the production of sound he would be able to send speech telegraphically. On March 10, 1876, the first complete sentence was spoken was transmitted over the phone by Bell, "Mr. Watson, come here; I want you."

Ever since then, the world of telephones has continued to evolve. We've seen the shifts from the phone invented by Bell, all the way to the latest smartphone over 140 years later. Now we even have phones that work through the internet, here's to you VoIP! Without the great mind of Alexander Graham Bell, communication may look and sound a little different.

The Personal Computer - Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak

Ever heard of a little company called Apple? In 1976, Apple Computers was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in California. Apple created the first home/personal computer. This personal computer opened the gates to the average person being able to use a computer in their home. By 1980, Apple Computers was a main player in the world of technology and there were over 1 million personal computers in the world!

In 2018, it's hard to walk into a home or office and not see a PC. Thanks to great inventors and geniuses like Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and countless others we now have the great luxury of using computers for work and for fun!

Commercial Mimeograph - Alfred Blake Dick

A.B. Dick was founded in 1883 in Chicago as a lumber company and expanded into office supplies after licensing key autographic printing patents from Thomas Edison. Albert Dick coined the word "mimeograph" and became the worlds largest manufacturer of mimeograph equipment. A.B. Dick Company became one of the country's true pioneers of the printing industry as we know it.

In fact, we wouldn't be who we are today without the A.B. Dick Company. In 1937, our founder, Bud Sumner took a job with A.B. Dick as a service technician. After his return from WWII, Bud returned to A.B. Dick and worked his way up the chain of commands and went on to purchase both the Oklahoma City and St. Louis branches of the company. A.B. Dick Products of STL, Inc is now SumnerOne.

Email - Ray Tomlinson

In 1971, U.S. Department of Defense programmer, Ray Tomlinson, invented a way to send text-based messages from person to person using electronic mail. This was the beginning of modern-day email. Tomlinson implemented the first email program on the ARPANET systems, known as the precursor to the internet. This was the first system able to send messages between users on different hosts connected to ARPANET.

Email is an everyday fixture in modern-day communication. Whether you use email to stay connected with family or use it for work, email has become a large part of our everyday life. Email changed the landscape of staying connected.

There you have it, 4 amazing technologies that have revolutionized the way we work, communicate, and live our lives in 2018. Happy Fourth of July from your friends at SumnerOne! Go out there and celebrate our amazing country filled with innovation and endless opportunity!

For more updates about the ever-changing landscape of technology, be sure to follow our SumnerOne blog for more information. The SumnerOne blog can be your one resource for everything from the latest in cyber attacks all the way to end user education in the workplace. Interested in learning more about SumnerOne? Give us a call. 

Originally published July 3, 2018, updated August 13, 2018