Reading up books: Readings in communications: A historical review: A good approach for a student interested in communications is to trace its historical development through the literature of the times

Few disciplines in the field of electrical engineering can claim to be as prolific or to have as much impact on our society as the field of communications. In fewer than 150 years, this technology has taken us from the simple wonders of the telephone and telegraph to the truly spectacular advances in space technology. With the aid of computers of the highest performance levels, satellites today can survey activities on the ground from space with a resolution of approximately 1 meter. With just as much ease, they can beam information from continent to continent and gather, process, and disseminate important meteorological and scientific data.