1990 and Onward - Computers of All Sizes

In the mid-1980s and into 1990s, home computers starting making their debut as methods of everyday communication. With the introduction of the internet and email service, those letters you normally sent in the mail could now be sent instantly, anywhere in the world, for a fraction of the telegram cost almost 80 years prior.

Home computers were available in the late 1970s but didn’t start becoming popular until the 1980s. The IBM computer in the museum’s collection was a business computer used by the Village of Buffalo Grove Public Works department. These first business and home computers contained multiple parts compared to the smaller units we see today.

Super Communication

A New Technology Does Everything

Cell phones changed communication in multiple ways, both writing and talking. Without the need for a landline or corded connection, you can call anyone, anywhere, for cheap. In addition, short messages can be sent over text messaging. Today, cellphones can do everything the previous technologies above did combined.