Alexander Bain, a Scottish clockmaker received a patent for an "automatic electrochemical recording telegraph" ...aka...the fax machine on this day in 1843.
The device was able to transfer an image from one sheet of electrically conductive paper to another using clock mechanisms that included two pens connected to two pendulums, which in turn were joined to a wire.
The first commercial fax service opened in France to transmit documents between Paris and Lyon in 1865. In 1906, fax machines found their first major use: to transmit photos for newspapers. They came into their own between 1973 and 1983 when the number of fax machines in the United States increased from 30,000 to 300,000. By 1989, the number had jumped to four million.
source: Worst Case Scenario Workplace Calendar
(yes, I love my calendar)
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