History of Education

  • 1500 BCE

    Scissors

    It is said that scissors have been around since 1500 BC. Ancient Egyptians invented a scissor like object around this time.
  • 1500

    Pencil

    The pencil has been around since the 1500's and is used by everybody.
  • First Private School

    The first private school was found in 1628 and is called Collegiate School and is founded in Manhattan
  • Public Schools

    The first public school was in Boston, Massachusetts. It was called the Boston Latin School. It opened in 1635 and is the oldest public school in the nation.
  • Chalkboard

    The chalkboard was invented by James Pillans in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1801
  • Letter-Grade System

    The letter-grade system took place in 1897. It started at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The grades were A-E. It obviously has changed from then.
  • Radio

    Students were able to do on-air classes if they were in range starting in the 1920's
  • Computer Printers

    The computer printer was invented in 1938 and is used by everyone.
  • Overhead projector

    The overhead projector was invented in the 1960's by a guy by the name of Roger Appeldorn who worked for the company 3M.
  • Scantron Testing System

    The Scantron testing system was invented in the 1970's and allowed tests to be taken and graded much faster.
  • Computer Labs

    Computer labs are used in all schools and have been in use since the 80's
  • Graphing Calculators

    Graphing calculators were invented in the 1990's. The company was called Texas Instruments.
  • Whiteboards

    The whiteboard was invented in 1991 and has taken over the chalkboard. You see these in almost every classroom.
  • Handheld Devices, WiFi, Laptops

    The laptop and smart phones were a huge this in the early 21st century. without WiFi, these could hardly be used.
  • YouTube

    YouTube was invented in 2005 and is something that everybody uses for many different reasons. YouTube has helped not only students but everyone learn about anything in the world.
  • Citation #1

    Who Invented Scissors? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/who-invented-scissors.
  • Citation #2

    The History of the Pencil. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pencils.com/pages/the-history-of-the-pencil.
  • Citation #3

    Bellis, M. (2019, October 2). Where Did the Computer Printer Come From? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-computer-printers-4071175.
  • Citation #4

    Top 10 Coolest Innovations From the Last 50 Years in Education. (2018, May 4). Retrieved from https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/just-for-fun/innovations-in-education/.
  • Citation #5

    The Evolution of Technology in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://online.purdue.edu/blog/evolution-technology-classroom.