Inventor: Alexander Bain

Facsimile transmission or faxing was created by Alexander Bain, a mechanic by profession, in 1843, although it did not achieve popularity until the 1980’s.  Facsimile transmission involves capturing an image and converting it to an electronic signal, which could be transmitted by wire in that day (radio waves can be used today).  On the receiving end of the transmission, the signal can be converted back to the image and recreated on paper.  This innovation received a lot of inspiration from the telegraph that had been invented seven years earlier.  Bain’s original fax machine used a stylus fixed to a pendulum to capture images on a flat metal surface.  Faxing today is done by digitizing the image; splitting the image into dots and designating the dots as a bit that is either on or off (1 or 0).  Fax machines are most useful in office settings where important documents have to be sent across long distances.

*Pictures from <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/fax-machine.htm>

SOURCES:

Bellis, Mary. “The History of the Fax Machine”, 17 Jan 2004, <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfax.htm>

• This website has a describes the history of the fax machine

Fink, Donald G.  “Facsimile”, 28 Feb 1996, <http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/FAX%5FFINK.html>

• This page has a lot of descriptive information on Fascimile transmission and how it works

Jupitermedia Corporation.  “Fax Machine”, 17 Jan 2004 <http://webopedia.internet.com/TERM/f/fax%5Fmachine.html>

• This site has an emphasis on modern day faxing and a description of faxing