How History Helps Us Understand the Future

In the mid 1990s, Jim Pelkey asked me to help him with his book on the history of computers and communications technologies. Jim had interviewed the men and women involved in the development of the key companies and organizations that led to the availability of computers and Internet communications that we could all use. Jim connected the history of these industries with the real voices of the people who posed the questions, solved the problems, took the risks, and created the future we take for granted today. Reading these stories helped me understand that the rapid change and innovation we see today is not unprecedented, you just have to know where to look for it in the past. Jim’s humbly titled A History of Computer Communications is a fascinating Web site for anyone who wants to know how we got here and where we might go next. When we talk about preparing our students for the 21st century, keep these innovators of the 20th century in mind. I don’t think problem solving and critical thinking are new skills. They have always been a part of the skills set of innovators and entrepreneurs.