The world 4.5 billion years old

Life 3.5 billion years ago

Humans 2 million years ago 1

`Modern' humans 35,000 to 50,000 years ago?1

Farming 12,000 years ago

The plow 5,000 years ago

The wheel 5,000 years ago

Steam-power 250 years ago

Computers 40-50 years ago

And now The age of instant communications

Communications landmarks

First brains 500 million years ago 2

Speech 35,000 to 50,000 years ago 3

Writing 6,000 years ago

Alphabet 4,000 years ago 4

Printing 1040 AD in China,

1451 AD in Europe

Telephone 1876

Moving pictures 1894

Television 1926

Transistor 1948

Fiber optics 1988: 3,000 messages at once

1996: 1.5 million

2000: 10 million (prediction)