The History of court Reporting

Throughout the years, court reporting has seen its share of changes. There is no doubt that innovation and technology have helped it evolve, but where did it begin?
63 B.C. Marcus Tullius Tiro, a scribe for the Roman orator and philosopher Cicero, devises the first Latin system of shorthand to record speeches and compiles it into a dictionary.
1180 The monk John of Tilbury creates the first method of abbreviated writing for the English language, based on a system of crosshatching vertical lines with short horizontal marks.
1588 British physician Dr. Timothy Bright published a system of 500 symbols to be used as English shorthand. Bright’s system was popular with scholars and ministers.
1602 John Willis produces The Art of Stenographie, a shorthand system that diverges from its predecessors by being based on the English alphabet, rather than symbols.
1772 The English government appoints Thomas Gurney as its first official shorthand writer. Gurney’s alphabet-based system is used to report the proceedings in the Houses of Parliament.
1877 Illinois court reporter Miles Bartholomew invents the first stenotype machine, marking the evolution of court reporting from writing with pen and paper to the much faster method.
1888 Irish-born American John Robert Gregg devises his own phonetic shorthand alphabet based on cursive longhand. Known as Gregg Shorthand, it becomes one of the most popular systems.
1940s Frustrated by the long transcription process, shorthand reporter Horace Webb creates the Stenomask, a recording device that lets a reporter take verbatim spoken notes, instead of typing.
1970s Computer-Aided Transcription (CAT) software is developed electronically linking a stenotype machine to a computer, drastically changing the field over the next several decades.
Present day Real-time reporting makes transcripts available as depositions are occurring, in a variety of searchable formats all Integrated with video and streaming technologies.
No matter where technology takes court reporting in the future, you can be assured that we will be there for your reporting needs. Contact us for your deposition today.