In 1878, Edison put everything into perfecting the lightbulb.The invention of a safe and practical lightbulb is a very important step in Learning Technologies. Nevertheless, electricity is essential first, but having a cheap and reliable source of light enables people to not need daylight to read, learn, etc. People can now preform these tasks 24 hrs a day - more light, more learning.
Lightbulb:
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story074.htm
http://www.ushistory.net/toc/electricity.html
In 2010, Fiber Optics are the backbone of everything. These pulses of light can carry much more information for a great distance, and deliver it with much higher fidelity than copper or coaxial. The latest high-capacity networks are fiber optic, and will become the industry standard that replaces our out-of-date copper wire infrastructure. It all had to start with a lightbulb!
Fiber Optics:
http://www.commspecial.com/fiberguide.htm