Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Monks, a polymath and an invention made by two people at the same time. It's all in the history of the index
In the 13th century, a monk and a polymath came up with a way to find information. Google still uses it
The need for this 800-year-old invention was so strong that two people came up with it at the same time. It's as useful today as ever.
www.abc.net.au
Eight centuries ago, the need for a way to collect and organise the contents of a book was so great that two people, in two different cities, came up with a solution – at the same time.
The index, that thing tucked inconspicuously at the end of a book was – and still is – essential, says Dennis Duncan, a writer, translator and English lecturer at University College London.
If you use Google, you're one of many in this "age of search" who have a "reliance on a certain type of index", he tells ABC RN's Late Night Live.
"It is the index that underpins the search engine … we're constantly relying on indexes."