Twitter invented in 1935?

Twitter gets a lot of attention these days for being an innovation that is changing the way people communicate with and relate to each other. But is Twitter really a new idea?

Yesterday on the radio I heard about a British invention implemented in 1935 that did basically what Twitter does, except without all of the technology behind it. I found this picture on the DJ's blog:


This person back in 1935 had this great idea, this great invention, but it was not an innovation. While the idea was firmly grounded in a latent human need, the technology and the consumer readiness did not exist to fully realize its potential. Otherwise we would all still be going to the train station to use the Robot Messenger.

This creates two questions in my mind:

1. What other innovations do we give credit to people in the present for coming up with that were really great inventions from the past?


2. When we are attempting to create the future as innovators and we get stuck, should we look to the past more for inspiration than we currently do?

Timing is often one of the key differentiators between invention and innovation. So, when seeking to innovate, we must ask ourselves:

Is my idea too early or too late to be an innovation?

If the brutally honest answer to this question is no (ideally after doing consumer research), well you better grab hold with both hands and go for it.

@innovate