History of Learn to Read

Reading is only about 5,000 years old. Ancient Sumerians invented cuneiform script around 3200 BC. Egyptians had hieroglyphs. Phoenicians invented the first true alphabet around 1200 BC. Greeks added vowels. Romans adapted it to the alphabet we use today. Reading rewrote human civilization.

Before writing, knowledge was oral — stories passed by mouth. Writing preserved exact ideas across generations. Laws could be written (Hammurabis Code, ~1750 BC). Literature could last (Epic of Gilgamesh). Science could accumulate. Every big step in civilization came after writing spread.

3200 BC: Sumerian cuneiform. 1200 BC: Phoenician alphabet. 800 BC: Greek alphabet with vowels. 1450 AD: Gutenberg printing press — reading became affordable. 1850s: mass literacy in Europe and America. Today: 86% global literacy rate (up from 12% in 1800).

Mass literacy is very recent. For most of history, only elites could read. The printing press changed that starting in 1450. Today most humans read, but over a billion adults still cant. Organizations like UNESCO work to bring reading to every child globally.