Communication · 1948
Information theory
Shannon defines the bit and proves how much any channel can reliably carry.
Claude Shannon's 1948 paper at Bell Labs defined information in bits, entropy, and channel capacity, showing error-free communication is possible up to a calculable limit. It underlies every modem, compression format, cellular standard and storage device.
What it built on 3
What it led to 9
Related measurements
The dashed line marks when it first worked.
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people Latest: 20.1 per 100 people (2025) Source: Our World in Data
Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people Latest: 112 per 100 people (2025) Source: Our World in Data
Computation per constant dollar, 1850-2006 Latest: 7.3B million units of computer power per 2006 $ (2003) Source: Nordhaus 2007, Two Centuries of Productivity Growth in Computing, J. Econ. Hist. 67(1), Table 6