Connections

In a very short time, we begin to take things for granted. It wasn't long ago that we carried a dime, then a dime and a nickel, then a quarter in our pocket to be able to make a phone call in an emergency. Now we just have to remember to keep our cell phone battery charged and the phone in our pocket.

Computers that took up whole rooms now sit on our laps and give us instant connection to almost anyone in the world with another computer and access to the internet. Just find a McDonald's and you can connect with free wifi.

We've come a long way from the first telegraph message sent by Samuel Morse back in 1844. Following the first printed postage stamp in 1847, the pony express made it possible to send a letter to the opposite coast in 1860.

Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876 and by 1880 there were almost 49,000 in use. When the IPhone first went on sale, more than one million were sold in the first 74 days.

1897 brought radio. 1927 ushered in televison. Then in 1969, the first group of computers began connecting with each other--the beginning of the internet. The first email was sent from one computer to another in the next room in 1971. And now we can't live without social networking.

How do you connect with friends and family? What does the future hold for our communications?