Contacts: A Timeline of Networking

Published in the Wall Street Journal.

Contacts: A Timeline of Networking

[Telephone Book]

1878
New Haven District Telephone Co. publishes the first telephone directory. The one-page directory lists the names of the 50 businesses and residences that are accessible by telephone.

1906
The first Yellow Pages is published, in Detroit, according to AT&T archives.

[Filofax]

1921
An Englishman begins to manufacture personal organizational systems (right) based on one he saw when serving in World War I. A secretary came up with the name Filofax.

[Arnold]

1956
Arnold Neustadter (pictured left), patents the rotary card filing system, which was invented by his employee, Hildaur L. Neilsen.

1958
Mr. Neustadter brings the card-filing system to market as the Rolodex.

[Newton]

1992
At a Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Apple’s then-CEO John Sculley (right) shows off the Apple Newton, a device for storing personal data.

1996
Palm Computing debuts the first Palm Pilots — the Pilot 1000 and Pilot 5000.

1999
The first BlackBerry is introduced to the marketplace by Canadian company Research In Motion.

2007
Apple launches the iPhone.

[Palm, BlackBerry, iPhone]
Left to right: Palm Pilot, BlackBerry and iPhone

November 24, 2007 | Filed Under Gadgets

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