1948 (paper published in two parts) / Americas
Shannon gives information and communication a mathematical framework
A Mathematical Theory of Communication linked uncertainty, coding and noisy transmission, establishing a foundation for modern information theory.
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The story
Shannon’s paper appeared in the Bell System Technical Journal in July and October 1948. Building on Nyquist, Hartley and others, it examined information measures and the limits of reliable communication. Its quantities concern the statistical structure of messages, not whether their content is true or meaningful. The 1949 book associated with Shannon and Weaver was a later publication, not the original paper’s date.
Connections and context
Transistors changed signal-processing hardware, while information theory investigated transmission limits. Compression, error-correcting codes and digital communications later connected these principles to working systems.
Dates and precision
1948 (paper published in two parts) Documented date
Positioned by the documented year, month or day. Missing precision is not inferred.
Representative map location
Bell Labs, Murray Hill
The marker uses the Murray Hill campus to represent the Bell Labs research network. The paper’s institutional affiliation does not establish a specific writing office; this is not a verified address of composition.
Representative coordinates · 40.6832°, -74.4°
A marker identifies one representative place, such as a manuscript collection, laboratory or observing site. It does not mean the work happened only there, or assign a shared discovery to one country.
Bibliography
- Claude E. Shannon: A Mathematical Theory of Communication (1948)
- Nokia Bell Labs: History
References are listed as plain bibliography titles. They support particular facts or context; a reference does not certify every interpretation in a story.