Often when we think of the history of Information Technology we consider the Gutenberg Printing Press. It was in fact the first time that content could be reproduced at a rapid pace.

13rh Century Clock - Photo care of RockN on Flickr

But what about Clocks?  As both a lover of history and technology I found myself pondering if the invention of the clock in 13th Century Europe is an example of an early Information Technology development.  The clock has allowed us to use information and accurately record and monitor what we do.

Here is a brief list of other benefits of the clock:

• Accurately tell time and depend less on the sun and moon
• Provide the possibility to order our day
• Measure the cost of labor more effectively
• Track the number of hours that go into a specific project

The clock gave us information that allowed us to make time a measurable value and it altered history forever.

What other older taken for granted Information technologies can you think of?