Posted on 01/31/2025 8:23:16 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The evolution of technology is unrelentingly swift. Generations have witnessed state-of-the-art inventions become obsolete in the blink of an eye. The fax machine, the pager, and the landline, all once revolutionary, have earned their place in the annals of history. Yet email — born in 1971 when engineer Ray Tomlinson sent the very first “ping” — has remarkably endured. This persistent form of communication continues to redefine itself for the digital age, but one enigmatic email feature hasn’t changed for over 50 years: the “cc.”
The “cc” field is a familiar sight perched within the recipient line of an email. The purpose is to send a copy of the message to an additional recipient who might need the information, but isn’t integral to the action of the message. Its modern definition traces back to its original usage in the late 19th century, when a duplicate was called a “carbon copy.”
Around the 1870s, long before photocopiers, documents were painstakingly duplicated by hand using carbon paper between two sheets of plain paper. Something written or typed on the top page would be transferred to the bottom piece of paper through the pressure on the carbon (essentially ink). The exact replica was called a “carbon copy.” By the 1920s, the term “carbon copy” had shifted to figuratively describe something that was a near-identical replica, such as “Mark was a carbon copy of his father.” This usage made its way into corporate America in the 1930s, when it was used in business as shorthand to ensure that multiple parties received the same information.
When email emerged in the 1970s, “cc” was quickly adapted, as the jargon was already familiar in professional circles. The concept of the “bcc” (blind carbon copy) soon followed, allowing a sender to conceal recipients entered in the “bcc” field. In the 1980s, the use of “cc” became so prevalent that it evolved into a verb, as in, “I cc’d Amy on that message.”
Even as digital technology seems to be on the cusp of the next big thing,”cc” is here to stay. The anachronism has survived 150 years, evolving from an industrial-era hand-copying tool into an indispensable feature of email etiquette, cementing its place in communication with one simple click.
-PJ
The really funny thing is my dad prided himself on NEVER touching a typewriter. As an executive, he had “gals” to do all that stuff. Yet, he was somehow prescient enough in the 60s to tell me “Son, you’re going to take typing.” It was a summer school short course and I was the ONLY guy in the class which was really, really weird!
Proposed govt. standards, pre-Jan 20th:
CC -> RC (Renewable Copy)
BCC -> DAC (Differently-Abled Copy)
White Out -> Diverse Out
“Yeah, I learned typing in high school, too. I was a big help when I became a programmer.”
I should have taken typing in junior high school. My choice was typing or music. I chose music and violin that I liked, but typing would have been a better idea.
-PJ
I remember small rectangular pieces of white out film that you would insert between the typewriter and paper to use to strike over an errant letter.
-PJ
Check out these IBM Selectric prices>>>>
I paid $100 for a 10” tablet that can do the same, but with lots better error, spelling, grammar correction.>>>>>>>>>>
The IBM Selectric typewriter, introduced on July 31, 1961, was a revolutionary device that featured interchangeable typeballs1. While specific pricing for universities is not directly mentioned in the search results, we can infer some information about the typewriter’s cost over time:
Initial pricing (1961):
Model 721 (11-inch paper width): $395
Model 725 (15-inch paper width): $445
Selectric III pricing (1981):
Range: $810 to $1,035
Previous range: $895 to $1,175
Adjusted for inflation:
In 1980-1981, the Selectric III cost about $1,000
Equivalent to approximately $3,000 in 2021 dollars
The company I worked for was still using a dot matrix printer with carbon paper for all UPS shipping in the 2010’s.
Read later.
Corpus Christi?
Great way to meet chicks.
STILL HAVE:
LAND LINE-—ONLY LAND LINE NO CELL PHONE
RAN BOOKKEEPING BUSINESS FOR 42 YEARS WITH LAND LINE & ANSWERING MACHINE
FAX MACHINE
HAD PAGER FOR ONE YEAR——
CLIENT KEPT BLOWING IT UP. DID NOT RENEW.
I used a Selectric up to about 2017, for behind-the-times government forms that had to be filled out by hand or on a typewriter. It was a great machine, and the one I learned to type on in the 1960s.
I wonder how easy it is to find ribbons and type balls for them now...
Me too, I got it from my Dad born in 1917, although I sometimes say "Frige."
STILL HAVE A MANUAL TYPEWRITER-—USED IT TO PREPARE W-2’S FOR OVER 42 years. ALSO to do homework for night classes in Accounting.
My grandmother was born in 1890, and raised me. I’ve never quite been able to banish certain words from my speech, including ‘ice box’, ‘davenport’, ‘galoshes’...
Back in the '70s I worked in a print shop where we had a typesetter. I would often spec type for him to set and the word "font" was rarely used except to indicate when a word or line was to be set in italics or boldface type. Now the word "typeface" has been replaced by "font" because the word typeface was too long to put on a header in Word on a computer.
I know those words. Davenport is a great one.
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