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Papyrus was used in Egypt to create paper and use it to write on it, creating a medium for writing.

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The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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A member of the sedge family, the papyrus ( Cyperus papyrus) was an integral feature of the ancient Nilotic landscape, essential to the ancient Egyptians in both the practical and symbolic realms. Needing shallow fresh water or water-saturated earth to grow, dense papyrus thickets were found in the marshes of the Nile Delta and also in the low-lying areas fringing the Nile valley. From a horizontal root, the slender but sturdy stalks, topped by feathery umbels ending in small brown fruit-bearing flowers, can reach up to five meters in height ( 30.4.60).

The pharaonic word for papyrus was tjufy (with mehyt used as a more general term for marsh plants). A hieroglyph in the form of a papyrus plant was used in the writing of the word wadj, meaning fresh, flourishing, and green. An amulet in this shape was worn at the throat for protection and health ( 26.7.1036). Due to its prevalence in the Nile Delta, the papyrus was the heraldic plant of Lower (northern) Egypt, while the lily or lotus stood for Upper (southern) Egypt. When shown wound around the hieroglyph for "unite," these two plants formed an emblem for the unification of the Two Lands of Egypt ( 15.5.1). The goddess Wadjet, depicted as a rearing cobra ( 07.228.14) or a woman with the head of a lioness ( 35.9.2), was the tutelary deity of Lower Egypt, and often is shown carrying a papyrus-shaped scepter.

In ancient Egyptian cosmology, the world was created when the first god stood on a mound that emerged from limitless and undifferentiated darkness and water, a mythical echo of the moment each year when the land began to reappear from beneath the annual floodwaters. Papyrus marshes were thus seen as fecund, fertile regions that contained the germs of creation ( 30.4.136). Ceilings in temples and tombs were frequently supported with columns in the form of papyrus plants, turning their architectural settings into models of this primeval marsh ( 68.154). Papyrus thickets were seen as liminal zones at the edges of the ordered cosmos, symbols of the untamed chaos that surrounded and perpetually threatened the Egyptian world. Teeming with wild birds and fish as well as dangerous animals such as hippopotami and crocodiles, all seen as incarnations of Egypt's enemies, these were the setting for ritual hunts. The single-handed defeat of these chaotic creatures by a king or noble, often depicted on the walls of temples and elite tombs, was emblematic of the maintenance of the ordered cosmos against the forces of entropy ( 30.4.48).

In one of the great mythic cycles central to Egyptian religion, the goddess Isis took her infant son Horus to the papyrus thickets of the north to conceal him from her brother Seth, who had murdered her husband Osiris and usurped his throne. Horus grew to manhood here, hidden among the swaying reeds whose rustling sounds soothed him and masked his cries, until he emerged to defeat his wicked uncle and reclaim his patrimony ( 50.85). Horus was protected and nursed while a baby by the goddess Hathor, who was worshipped in the ritual of the Shaking of the Papyrus. In its ideal form, this was performed in the marshes by a celebrant who shook actual stalks of papyrus; Hathor's primary cult instruments, the sistrum ( 68.44) and the menat ( 11.215.450), were rattled to produce a comparable rustling sound and evoke this mythical environment. To celebrate her role as wet-nurse of Horus and symbol of rebirth and resurrection in the celestial realm, this goddess is shown in the form of a cow emerging from the papyrus thicket ( 2007.155). The handles of mirrors, associated with Hathor as the goddess of eroticism and beauty, were often in the form of papyrus plants ( 26.7.1351).

Papyrus could be used in the manufacture of a variety of objects. Skiffs made by binding the long stalks together were used from the Predynastic era on for local transport and hunting. As shown in tomb art, the boats used for pilgrimages and funerals take this distinctive shape ( 20.3.5); these may originally have been made from reeds, and were perhaps translated later into wood. For use in the construction of items such as mats, boxes, baskets, lids, sandals, and ropes, the tough outer rind was stripped, revealing a spongy white pith reinforced by long vascular bundles that could be made into durable strips ( 10.184.1a,b; 09.184.250). According to Herodotus, the lower part of the plant (probably the root) could be roasted and eaten.

Perhaps the most important use for the papyrus plant was as a writing surface, created from strips of the pith found inside the stalk laid down in layers and dried under pressure. This was formed into rolls that could be left intact or cut into sheets; later, codices were also used. Thanks to the preservative qualities afforded by the dry climate of Egypt's deserts, the remains of many documents on papyrus have been recovered from the Egyptian sands. These include household and administrative documents ( 22.3.522), letters ( 22.3.516), contracts ( 35.4.1a, b) and other legal texts, illustrated narratives, and religious texts ( 25.3.31; 30.3.31). The earliest known roll of papyrus comes from the Dynasty 1 tomb of the high official Hemaka (ca. 2900 B.C.), but this is blank; the first examples on which text is preserved are administrative documents found at the Red Sea port of Wadi el-Jarf that date to Dynasty 4 (ca. 2500 B.C.). This correlates with the earliest known scribe statue, which dates to the same dynasty.

The typical scribal kit consisted of rush styluses (with reeds coming into use in the late first century B.C.), water, and cakes of ink, with a carbon-based black used for most texts and a red, fabricated with hematite, employed for emphasis ( 47.123a-g). Various additional colors could be used for illustrations. For most of Egyptian history, the script used on papyrus was hieratic, a cursive script ( 27.3.560); in later times, demotic, which developed from hieratic, then Greek and Coptic ( 25.8; 14.1.531), were also used. Scribes, or others among the 0.5 to 3 percent of the population who were literate ( 23.10.1), would write first on the inner surface of the roll, now known as the recto, where the fibers were horizontal, then move to the verso, the outer surface. Papyri were often erased and reused, and old strips could be layered with plaster as cartonnage, used for items like mummy masks ( 19.2.6).

Papyrus-making is a complex and time-consuming process that requires expertise in all aspects, from the cultivation and harvesting of plants to the manufacture of rolls. Many scholars believe that this was a state-run enterprise, at least in the later periods of Egyptian history; it has been suggested that the Greek term papuros comes from the Egyptian pa-per-aa, "that of the pharaoh," although there is no substantial evidence for this. In any event, most likely due to the desire to move away from dependence on supplies from Egypt, parchment gradually superseded papyrus as the most popular material for writing. The latest known papyri date from around 1100 A.D., although even these are isolated examples.

Kamrin, Janice. "Papyrus in Ancient Egypt." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/papy/hd_papy.htm (March 2015)

Leach, Bridget, and John Tait. "Papyrus." in Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology, edited by Paul T. Nicholson and Ian Shaw. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Leach, Bridget, and John Tait. "Papyrus." In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, edited by Donald B. Redford. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Parkinson, Richard B., and Stephen Quirke. Papyrus. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995.

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Papyrus in Ancient Egypt | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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A member of the sedge family, the papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) was an integral feature of the ancient Nilotic landscape, essential to the ancient Egyptians in both the practical and symbolic realms.

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The printing press was created. It made it easier and quicker for people to share their information to others in large amounts.

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Alexander Bain invented the electric printing telegraph.

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The first commercially typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W.

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The telephone medium was created

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The first radio was invented by Guglielmo Marconi.

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The first commercial radio station came to light.

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The "Xerography" was invented by Chester Carlson. It was a "dry photocopying" technique that allowed to make copies of images or text.

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The telephone became more convenient and more people began using it globally.

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The first recognized fax machine came to light. It was known as the "Long Distance Xerograph". Xerox was able to create this machine to send documents to any fax machine in the world.

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Laser printing was invented by Gary Starkweather. This technique allowed to print digital documents into a hard copy.

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BBC Television was created. It was the first experimental television program.

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The "modem" was created. This creation enabled communication between computers.

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The IBM Memory Typewriter was released. Had a 4,000 character memory and 50-page storage.

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The Internet was invented. Allowed different types of computers to send messages to one another.

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The "WWW", also known as "world wide web" was made public in the internet.

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The "Internet Explorer", a web browers, was created.

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The "IBM Simmon" phone came out and was the first phone to be recognized as a "smartphone".

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The IBM Simon Personal Communicator (simply known as IBM Simon) is a handheld, touchscreen PDA designed by International Business Machines (IBM), and manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric. BellSouth Cellular Corp. distributed the Simon Personal Communicator in the United States between August 1994 and February 1995, selling 50,000 units. The Simon Personal Communicator was the first personal digital assistant or PDA to include telephony features. The battery lasted only an hour, and flip phones became increasingly slim which led to its demise.

With advances in MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, or MOS transistor) technology enabling smaller integrated circuit chips and the proliferation of wireless mobile networks, IBM engineer Frank Canova realised that chip-and-wireless technology was becoming small enough to use in handheld devices. IBM debuted a prototype device, code named "Sweetspot", on November 23, 1992, at the COMDEX computer and technology trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The Sweetspot prototype combined a mobile phone and PDA into one device, allowing a user to make and receive telephone calls, facsimiles, emails and cellular pages. Not only did the prototype have many PDA features including a calendar, address book and notepad, but also demonstrated other applications such as maps, stocks and news. COMDEX show attendees and the press showed interest in the device. The day after Sweetspot's debut, featured a photo on the front page of the Money section showing Frank Canova, IBM's lead architect and inventor of the smartphone, holding the Sweetspot prototype.

After a very successful prototype demonstration at COMDEX, IBM began work on the commercial product, code named "Angler". The IBM device was manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric, which integrated features from its own wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) and cellular radio technologies while building the IBM device. IBM initially approached Motorola to manufacture the product, but Motorola rejected the offer, concerned that IBM could become a potential rival mobile manufacturer. IBM then approached Mitsubishi to build the device.

BellSouth executives gave the finished product its final name, "Simon Personal Communicator", before its public debut at the Wireless World Conference in November 1993. BellSouth Cellular had planned to begin selling Simon in May 1994, but due to problems with the device's software, the Simon did not become available to consumers until August 16, 1994. BellSouth Cellular initially offered the Simon throughout its 15-state service area for US$ 899 with a two-year service contract or US$1099 without a contract. Later in the product's life, BellSouth Cellular reduced the price to US$599 with a two-year contract.

BellSouth Cellular sold approximately 50,000 units during the product's six months on the market.

Although the term " smartphone" was not coined until 1995, because of Simon's features and capabilities, it has been retrospectively referred to as the first smartphone.

In addition to its ability to make and receive cellular phone calls, Simon was also able to send and receive faxes, e-mails and cellular pages. Simon featured many applications, including an address book, calendar, appointment scheduler, calculator, world time clock, electronic notepad, handwritten annotations, and standard and predictive stylus input screen keyboards.

It features a liquid-crystal display (LCD) and has PC Card support. Its internal hardware includes the Vadem VG230 ( CMOS) system-on-a-chip (SoC) from NEC, MOS random-access memory (RAM) chips from Sony and Hitachi, flash memory ( floating-gate MOS) chips from Intel and Hitachi, and Cirrus Logic modem chips.

Each Simon was shipped with a charging base station, two nickel-cadmium batteries and a protective leather cover. Optional was a PCMCIA pager card designed by Motorola, an RS232 adapter cable for use with PC-Link to access files from a personal computer, and an RJ11 adapter cable to allow voice and data calls to be made over POTS land-lines. The RJ11 adapter helped users reduce expensive cellular phone bills or make calls where cellular coverage didn't exist in 1994.

The Simon used the file system from Datalight ROM-DOS along with file compression from Stacker. IBM created a unique touch-screen user interface for Simon; no DOS prompt existed. This user interface software layer for Simon was known as the Navigator.

The Simon could be upgraded to run third party applications either by inserting a PCMCIA card or by downloading an application to the phone's internal memory.

PDA Dimensions developed "DispatchIt", the only aftermarket, third-party application developed for Simon. It was an early predecessor to "Remote Desktop" software. The DispatchIt application costs were US$2,999 for the host PC software and US$299 for each Simon software client.

1. ^ Sager, Ira (June 29, 2012). "Before IPhone and Android Came Simon, the First Smartphone". Bloomberg Businessweek. ISSN 2162-657X. Simon was the first smartphone. Twenty years ago, it envisioned our app-happy mobile lives, squeezing the features of a cell phone, pager, fax machine, and computer into an 18-ounce black brick.

2. ^ O'Malley, Chris (December 1994). "Simonizing the PDA". . 19 (12): 145-148. ISSN 0360-5280. Archived from the original on February 21, 1999. The CPU is a 16-bit x86-compatible processor running at 16 MHz, a single-chip design manufactured by Vadem. Simon runs a version of DOS called ROM-DOS, from Datalight...

3. ^ "Bellsouth, IBM Unveil Personal Communicator Phone". Mobile Phone News. November 8, 1993. ISSN 0737-5077. The phone currently is based on an AMPS standard...

4. ^ Nochkin, Alexandr (July 10, 2013). "IBM Simon. The first smartphone in the World. What's inside". IBM blog (in Russian). Habrahabr.ru.

5. ^ Jin, Dal Yong (2017). Smartland Korea: Mobile Communication, Culture, and Society. University of Michigan Press. pp. 34-35. ISBN 9780472053377.

6. ^ Sahay, Shubham; Kumar, Mamidala Jagadesh (2019). Junctionless Field-Effect Transistors: Design, Modeling, and Simulation. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119523536.

7. ^ O'Neill, A. (2008). "Asad Abidi Recognized for Work in RF-CMOS". IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society Newsletter. 13 (1): 57-58. doi:10.1109/N-SSC.2008.4785694. ISSN 1098-4232.

8. ^ Sager, Ira (June 29, 2012). "Before IPhone and Android Came Simon, the First Smartphone". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News.

9. ^ Woyke, Elizabeth (2014). The Smartphone. Anatomy of an industry. New York: The New Press. pp. 3-9. ISBN 978-1-59558-963-7.

10. ^ Schneidawind, John (November 23, 1992). "Poindexter Putting Finger on PC Bugs; Big Blue Unveiling". . p. 2B. ISSN 0734-7456.

11. ^ Bradner, Erin (July 21, 2011). "Are You an Innovation Giant?". Designing the User Experience at Autodesk. Autodesk. Archived from the original on November 24, 2012.

12. ^ "IBM's Plans to Ship Simon Put On Hold for Time Being". Mobile Phone News. April 4, 1994. ISSN 0737-5077. Technical issues, resulting from the integration of Simon's cellular faxing capability, were discovered early in the manufacturing and development cycle as IBM's quality assurance testing was being conducted. IBM will hold up shipments of the device until the bugs are worked out.

13. ^ "Ericsson GS88 Preview". Eri-no-moto. 2006. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012.

14. ^ Savage, Pamela (January 1995). "Designing a GUI for Business Telephone users". Association of Computing Machinery. ...It is at this point that early usability test participants met impasse. The switch connected to our "smart phone" is expecting the typical "dumb end-point"... AT&T's PhoneWriter was demonstrated at the 1993 Comdex Computer Show...

15. ^ US patent 5537608, Brent A. Beatty; Francis J. Canova Jr. & Charles S. Lanier et al., "Personal communicator apparatus", issued July 19, 1996, assigned to International Business Machines Corporation

16. ^ BellSouth Cellular Corporation (March 9, 1995). "Bellsouth Cellular Corp. Announces Dispatchit™ Software For Simon™ Commercially Available" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013.

17. ^ Polishuk, Paul, ed. (May 1995). "BellSouth Cellular Corp. Announces DispatchIt Software for Simon". Wireless Telecommunications Newsletter. 5 (5): 9-10. ISSN 1083-7779. BellSouth Cellular Corp. (BSCC) and PDA Dimensions...announced the commercial availability of DispatchIt, a work order field service application using Simon, BSCC's personal communicator.

"Simon". Buxton Collection. Microsoft Corporation. 2012. Archived from the original on November 24, 2012. Simon is the first smartphone. It paved the way for the ones of today by introducing touch screens to phones.

"Buxton Collection Sampler" (PDF). CHI 2011. ACM SIGCHI. 2011. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2012. IBM / Bell South Simon Smartphone: First shown in 1993, this was the world's first so-called 'smart phone'.

The $899 Prehistoric Predecessor to the iPhone (FLV) (Web video). Bloomberg. June 28, 2012. Long before the smartphone revolution, IBM and BellSouth teamed up to build and sell the Simon Personal Communicator, a 1-pound, $899 mobile phone that ran apps and featured the first touch screen. It lasted just six months after being put on the market in the summer of 1994.

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The IBM Simon Personal Communicator (simply known as IBM Simon) is a handheld, touchscreen PDA designed by International Business Machines (IBM), and manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric. BellSouth Cellular Corp. distributed the Simon Personal Communicator in the United States between August 1994 and February 1995, selling 50,000 units.

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Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia, was launched.

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Iris Gutierrez was born in Houston, Texas.

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"Facebook" was first launched.

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YouTube was launched. Allowed video sharing and streaming.

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Had my baptism.

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The "news feed" feature was added to Facebook.

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Twitter was launched.

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The first Apple iPhone smartphone was released.

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Google Chrome, a cross-platform web browser, was released.

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The first time I got on and rode a horse!

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Younger brother was born.

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Seeing snow for the first time!

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"Instagram" was launched. Allowed photos and videos to be shared.

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Kik Messenger was launched. Allowed instant messaging.

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Snapchat was launched.

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Twitter launched a video sharing app called "Vine".

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"Musical.ly" was released. Users could upload lip-sync videos.

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Twitter released a group direct messages feature.

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Snapchat adds a "lenses" feature. This allowed users to have filters.

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Graduated elementary.

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Facebook launched a "live feature". This allowed users to go appear on their news feed in real-life time where other users could comment and see.

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Started using "Kik".

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Instagram added a "stories feature". This allowed users to upload pictures or videos in form of a slideshow/story for others to see. The videos and pictures would be deleted after 24 hours of posting them.

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Vine was shut down.

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Got a pet parrot!

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Started using Instagram and Snapchat for the first time.

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Instagram added a "close friends" feature. This allows users to select who they want to be in a private story. User may decide to upload pictures/videos but only in the "close friends" story rather to the public "story" for everyone to see.

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Musical.ly was merged into "TikTok".

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Started using TikTok.

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Started using facebook to communicate with older relatives.

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Got my first iPhone!

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Everyone went on lockdown because of Covid.

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Texas had a freeze. Saw snow again after a long time, and had our power gone for 2 days.

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Graduated high school.

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Went to my first concert ever at the Toyota Center to see Bad Bunny!

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Got on a plane for the first time!!

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Visited Cancun for the first time!

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Visited the Cenote Suytun for the first time with my mom and sister!

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Went to another Bad Bunny Concert!

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Went to Daddy Yankee's last world concert tour!

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Dyed my hair for the first time!