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THE HISTORY OF MODERN STENOGRAPHY

 by
Lorraine Northway

1551 Timothy Bright born
1588 Timothy Bright's "Characterie; An Arte of Shorte, Swifte and Secrete Writing by Character" published and he received a patent for his shorthand system from Queen Elizabeth
1602 John Willis' "Art of Stenography" published
1627? John Willis believed to have died
1646 William Mason's "LA Plume Volante" published
1692 John Byrom born
1724 Byrom elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
1742 Byrom's shorthand system copyrighted
1749 Samuel Taylor born
1750 Thomas Guerney's "Brachygraphy" printed in Manchester
1767 John Byrom's "Universal English Shorthand" published in Manchester 4 years after his death
1772 Thomas Guerney appointed by the English Government as its first official shorthand writer
1786 Samuel Taylor's "An essay intended to establish standard for an universal system of stenography" published in London
1791 Samuel Morse born in America
1811Samuel Taylor believed to have died
1813 Isaac Pitman born in Trowbridge
1822 Benn Pitman born
1823 William Harding revised Taylor's system
1829 Isaac Pitman took up Samuel Taylor's shorthand
1837

Isaac Pitman "Stenography Sound-Hand" publishedPitman shorthand became the ever first subject taught by correspondenceJacob Pitman, Isaac Pitman's elder brother, took Isaac's "Sound-Hand" with him to Australia

1839 The First Phonetic Institute opened at No 5 Nelson Place, Bath by Isaac Pitman
1840 The second edition of Pitman's "Stenography Sound-Hand" published and by the end of the year the third edition was on the shelves
1842 The "Phonographic Journal No 1" went on sale (now the Pitman's Phonetic Journal)
1843 The Phonographic Correspondence Society established in the United Kingdom
1844 Morse demonstrated to Congress the practicality of the telegraph by transmitting the famous message "What hath God wrought" over a wire from Washington to Baltimore
1845 Isaac Pitman established his first printing press
1846 "A Phonographic Dictionary of the English Language" the first ever Pitman dictionary published, containing 12,000 outlines
1851

The Second Phonetic Institute opened by Pitman at Upper Bristol Road, BathIsaac Pitman won a bronze medal at the Great Exhibition for his printed shorthand

1852

Benn Pitman arrived in America and introduced Pitman shorthand. Benn Pitman established the Phonographic Institute of Cincinnati

1854 Benn Pitman's "The Reporters Companion" published
1855

Benn Pitman's "The Manual of Phonography" publishedPitman's Third Phonetic Institute opened at Parsonage Lane, BathThe first Shorthand Speed Certificates issued by the Phonetic Institute in Bath.

1857

The revised vowel scale introduced by Isaac Pitman but not adapted by many American writersJ Graham's "Brief Longhand" published in America

1862 Duplicate hook fr, vr, thr, Thr and large hooks for fl, vl, shl, ml, nl introduced by Isaac Pitman
1864 The Royal Society of Arts began shorthand examinations
1865–7 Benn Pitman led a team of 5 stenographers at the trial of President Lincoln's assassin
1867

wl and lr introduced to the Pitman systemJohn Robert Gregg born on 17 June in Shantonaugh, County Managhan, IrelandBenn Pitman's "The Assassination of President Lincoln and the Trial of the Conspirators" published

1869 kw introduced into the Pitman system
1870 The Pitman's Metropolitan School opened in London
1872 Seventeen enthusiastic writers of Pitman's shorthand established the Phonetic Shorthand Writers Association in Great Britain
1873 wh added to the Pitman system
1874 Pitman's Forth Phonetic Institute opened at Nos 6 & 7 Kingston Buildings in the Abbey Churchyard, Bath
1879 Miles Bartholomew received a patent in America for the first shorthand machine
1884

The double-length principal extended the Pitman systemThe "Pitman v Hine copyright actionThe "Acropolis of Athens" depicting 4th century BC Greek shorthand discovered in Athens

1886 Pitman went into partnerships with his sons Alfred and Ernest to form Isaac Pitman & Sons.  The first million copies of the "Phonographic Teacher" sold in Great Britain
1887

Pitman's large initial circle sw adopted.  The tercentenary of Timothy Bright.  The Golden Jubilee of Pitman shorthand.

1888

The 28 paged "Light – Line Phonography", the first ever Gregg's shorthand book published in Great Britain.  Pitman shorthand became an examinable subject for secondary schools with the Oxford Local Examining Board.

1889 Pitman shorthand first recognised by the British Government in the "Technical Instruction Act’.
1890

Pitman shorthand included in the British School CodeNational Phonographic Society formed.

1892 The "Pitman's Shorthand Weekly" established
1893

John Gregg opened his first school in Great BritainGregg moved to the United States of AmericaGregg's "Light- Line Phonography" first published in the Untied States of America

1894 Isaac Pitman knighted by Queen Victoria
1895 Sir Isaac Pitman retired and his eldest son, Alfred took over the family business
1897

Sir Isaac Pitman died on 22 January in Bath.  Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons commissioned a special building to house the Pitman's Metropolitan School.

1898

Phonetic Shorthand Writers Association and the National Phonographic Society merged to become The Incorporated Phonographic SocietyThe new Pitman's Metropolitan School building opened in London.

1899

Gregg Publishing Co establishedThe National Shorthand Reporters Association formed in Chicago in AugustThe Dutch system of shorthand "Groote" introduced by A W Groote.

1900

John Gregg started to edit "Gregg's Writer’.  The "Century" edition of Pitman shorthand published.

1901 Pitman's Phonetic Institute extended
1902"Sir Isaac Pitman: His Life and Labours" by Benn Pitman and Alfred Baker published.  "Gregg's Shorthand’, a revised version of "Light-Line" published in America
1904 "Sir Isaac Pitman 1813 – 1897- A Biographical Sketch" first published.
1906 The first commercially feasible stenography machine invented by Ward Stone Ireland.
1908 James Hill born near Bradford.
1909 The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) organised the first National Speed Contest for shorthand in America.
1910 Benn Pitman died in America.
1913 The introduction of the Stenotype machine into the US court system...The "Centenary" edition of Pitman shorthand introduced to mark the 100th anniversary of Sir Isaac Pitman birth

1920

Gregg edited "American Shorthand Teacher" which would later become "Business Education World" in 1933.
1921 The Pitman Commercial Examinations Department established at the Phonetic Institute.
1922

The "New Era" edition of Pitman shorthand published by Sir Isaac Pitman & SonsA world record of 350 words per minute achieved by American Nathan Behrin during a 2 minute test using the Pitman system.

1924 Emma Dearborn devised a Speed Writing System in the USA.
1929 The 50th anniversary of Gregg's shorthand systemGregg's frequency-of-words method introduced.
1932 The "Hy-Speed Longhand" first published in America.
1940Gregg's "New Rapid Course" introduced to simplify the system for those attending evening classes and day schools.
1948

John Robert Gregg diedMcGraw Hill acquired the rights to all his work.

1949

"Stenograph" registered as a trademark in the USA.

1950 Leon Sheff revised the Dearborn Speed Writing system.  Forkner's shorthand introduced in the USA.
1951

The National Council for the Training of Journalists established in Great Britain.

1952

In America the NCRA organised the first National Speed Competition for machine shorthand writersJames Hill experimented with his new shorthand system at Grantham College.

1956

Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd turned down the chance to publish James Hill's new system of shorthand.

1963

The Diamond Jubilee of Gregg's shorthand.

1968

The first public demonstration of Teeline shorthand.

1969

"Basic Teeline: A Textbook of Fast Writing" published by Heinemann.

1970

The Pitman Collection transferred from Pitman Publishing Ltd to Bath University.

1971

The Inaugural meeting of the Teeline AssociationTeeline Education Ltd established.  James Hill died on 2 June 1971.

1972

"Teeline Advanced" and "Basic Common Word List" published in September.

1973

"Advanced Practice Exercises" published for Teeline.

1974

Pitman introduced a new non-court based system called Pitman 2000.

1975

Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons reincorporated as Pitman Ltd.

1978

In America "Gregg's Series 90" introduced by McGraw Hill to mark the 90th anniversary of the Gregg's system.

1982

Pitman Ltd become a public limited company.

1985

The Pitman Examination Institute sold to the Longman Group.

1987

First examinations for all systems offered by Teeline Education Ltd.

1997

Bath Press Group Ltd (formerly part of Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd) reprinted "Sir Isaac Pitman 1813 – 1897- A Biographical Sketch" to mark the 100th anniversary of Sir Isaac Pitman's death.

2000

A trademark case bought by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd against Pitman Education. & Training Ltd over the use of the word "Pitman" in connection of examinations.

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