What Is Facsimile (Fax)?

In the olden days, people sent each other messages via mail. They would write their message on a piece of paper, fold it into an envelope, and seal it with wax. Then they would take that envelope and put it in another envelope with postage. Finally, they would take that second envelope and put it in a mailbox at the end of their driveway.This whole process took days! And what if someone wanted to send more than one piece of paper or a photograph? Well, they'd have to do all of that again! It was so tedious! Thankfully, we now have a Facsimile (Fax) (also known as a fax machine). It allows you to scan whatever document or image you want and send it over a telephone or Internet connection! The fax machine is a piece of technology that has seen better days. It was first invented in 1843, and it was initially used as a way to send messages over telegraph wires. The term "fax" was coined by Swedish engineer Ericsson in 1904. It was first used commercially in 1906 by AT&T, who provided their customers with the ability to send documents over an analog phone line. Technology has evolved quite a bit since then, and today most people use it to send documents to one another over the internet instead of over telephone lines. Nowadays, almost every computer has built-in fax software that allows you to use your computer's printer as a fax machine! We have all heard horror stories about how people have lost their jobs because they sent a fax instead of emailing someone (or vice versa). The world is moving away from this outdated technology, but there are still plenty of places to find them, especially if you need to send something really important fast!