Events
Leonid Ivanovich Kupriyanovich born in Moscow, Russia. (7/14/1929)Leonid Ivanovich Kupriyanovich creates the first experimental "mobile phone"
with a 20-30 km reach and 20-30 hour battery. The focus is usually on the U.S.
but this marks the start of the USSR's mobile phone, one that came before
the prototypes in the U.S. (1957)Leonid Ivanovich Kupriyanovich introduces the "Altai" mobile phone to the Soviet Union,
10 years before Martin Cooper's first mobile phone. While not as well known, it's impressive
that the USSR had mobile phones before the U.S. (1961)Nokia Bell Labs, later to be owned by AT&T, is founded in Murray Hill, New Jersey.
Bell Labs will continue to create innovations both in communications and science as a whole.
A few notable innovations is a practical solar cell and Telstar I which broadcasted the first live television. (1925)Bell Labs team invents the transistor, which replaces the need for vacuum tubes
and allows electronic devices to become even smaller than before. An extremely
important innovation for the fact that without these transistors, things like
the first iPhone would be just a bulky as other phones. (12/23/1947)TAT-8, the 8th fiber-optic cable was laid by AT&T, British and French Télécom
and connected the US, Britain and France. The technology was also developed by Bell Labs
and was able to provide coverage to all three at once. (1988)Department of Justice files an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T. By this time
AT&T had monopolized, absorbing both Western Electric and a few Bell Companies.
AT&T later shed a few of its companies, but also served the purpose to make way
for later companies like Sprint and Motorola. (11/20/1974)Orange: People
Red: Mobile companies
Purple: GovernmentThe Radio Act of 1927 is signed in, ensuring that the Federal Radio Commission had the power
to deny or pass broadcasting licences, along with frequencies and power levels. Prior to this the
waves were controlled by the Commerce Department, but lacked the power to actually back their
decisions. (2/23/1927)The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
It included an reform of communication laws and was the first to address the issue
of Internet access. (2/8/1996)
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