Telephone,television,radio,andtelegraphallhelppeoplecommunicatewitheachother.Becauseofthesedevices,ideasandnewsofeventsspreadquicklyallovertheworld.Forexample,withinseconds,peoplecanknowtheresultsofanelectioninanothercountry.Aninternationalfootballmatchcomesintothehomesofeveryonewithatelevisionset.Newsofadisastersuchasanearthquakeorafloodcanbringhelpfromdistantcountrieswithinhours,helpisontheway.Becauseofmoderntechnologylikethesatellitesthattravelaroundtheworld,informationtravelsfast.
Howhasthisspeedofcommunicationchangedtheworld?Tomanypeople,theworldhasbecomesmaller.Ofcoursethisdoesnotmeanthattheworldisactuallyphysicallysmaller.Itmeansthattheworldseemssmaller.Twohundredyearsago,communicationbetweenthecontinentstookalongtime.Allnewswascarriedonshipsthattookweeksorevenmonthstocrosstheocean.Intheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies,ittooksixweeksfornewsfromEuropetoreachAmerica.Thistimedifferenceinfluencedpeople'sactions.Forexample,onebattle,orfight,intheWarof1812betweenEnglandandtheUnitedStatescouldhavebeenavoided.Apeaceagreementhadalreadybeensigned.PeacewasmadeinEngland,butthenewsofpeacetooksixweekstoreachAmerica.Duringthesesixweeks,thelargeandseriousBattleofNewOrleanswasfought.Manypeoplelosttheirlivesafterapeacetreatyhadbeensigned.Theywouldnothavediedifnewshadcomeintime.Inthepast,communicationtookmuchtimethanitdoesnow.Therewasagoodreasonwhytheworldseemedsomuchlargerthanitdoestoday.