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The earliest wordless communication of cave paintings was followed by early writing carved into stone. Some societies wrote with ideograms; others used symbols for sounds.

Telecommunications started when messages were sent over distances using fires and light, sound and semaphore, flags and carrier pigeons.

The public could communicate over long distances when the post started, and many countries developed delivery systems.

Fast telecommunications began with the telegraph, first using mechanical systems, like visual telegraph. These were soon replaced by Morse's electric telegraph and soon, telegraph cables spanned the world.

In 1876 Bell made his first telephone, and shortly after every major city was filled with telephones and telephone wires as people the world over learned to talk to each other at long distance.

Over the years, telephones and radio were joined together, and radio telephony and broadcasting were born.

Radio waves and wires soon carried pictures and data as stock tickers, television and telex developed. Automatic switching replaced manual switching.

The latest steps are miniaturizing the equipment, leading to computers, mobile phones and satellite relays.