Long-distance relationships went a long way (pun intended) between the dawn of the human race and the technology-filled world we live in today. Check the following infographic to find out more details on that.
Apparently it all got started with the hunter-gatherer couple. At that time, men had to travel a lot in search for food, so they spent quite a lot of time away from their better half. Obviously, at that time there were no means of communication. The ancient war-torn couple was deprived of communication, too. However, ancient Greeks started employing homing pigeons around 770 BCE, fact that made the distance and the waiting less tormenting.
Even though Pharaos of Ancient Egypt started using the first courier service circa 2400 BCE, common people would not have access to communication carried by intermediaries for another 1500 years. In fact, the Chinese were the first ones to develop a postal service of which couples could benefit. Common Egyptians moved to papyrus correspondence only around 500 BCE. The next advancement came 2300 years later, around 1814, when photography is developed and couples get to share photos. In 1837, Samuel Morse invents and uses the electrical recording telegraph for the first time. It would not go mainstream for a few more years, in 1843. Dirty talk was out of the question, since the messages would be handled by other persons. The Pony Express changes things once again in 1860.
The long-distance couples who used the telephone for keeping their relationship alive have to thank Alexander Graham Bell (or Innocenzo Manzetti, Antonio Meucci, Johann Philipp Reis, Elisha Gray and Thomas Edison, since they all seem to get credit for pioneering work on this technology). The first crosscontinental call was made in 1914, thus making love possible across the seas and oceans. The Movie Night Couple also employed the telephone, along with a VCR remote, for syncing the movie they would watch together.
The next long-distance couples look far more familiar to us, since they used mobile phones, AIM, text messages, social networks, web-phones, web-cams and games. We have now reached a point where we can see and hear our beloved ones even if they are half-a-globe away. As long as we do not forget that physical contact is also an important part of relationships, we will always find different means of keeping in touch.
If you liked this post, please check the video connection and the geek vs nerd infographics. Also, make sure to read or watch Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal.
