We learn from this article (free account needed to read the whole thing) that "big data" began in 1854 when the telegraph was integrated into "big railroad" operations. And, a big railroad in 1854 was 500 miles of track with dozens of whistle stops.
There was so much new stuff and so many new connections in the network -- perhaps the first real business operations network -- that something new was needed: The Organization Chart!
Yes, we can now say that the telegraph beget the organization chart! Who knew?
And, this first chart was upside down by today's convention: the little guys were at the top and el supremo was at the bottom -- an inverted pyramid.
And, get this: the organization chart enable delegation with reasonable reporting and metrics -- let's make the trains run on time! And, for the most part they did.
All of this is a heavy load for the domain of dots and dashes!
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