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Though it may be remembered these days only by those who knew a world before the internet, CompuServe was the gateway to the World Wide Web for hundreds of thousands of us in the early 1990s. And that gateway was opened right here in Ohio -- Upper Arlington, to be exact.
Late last year, the building that housed CompuServe's headquarters was given a historical marker.
"This may be the first historical marker about the internet. Most history is not recognized and celebrated in your lifetime, but this is and it's really special," said Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted at the dedication event. "Today we have a vibrant, growing tech economy in the state of Ohio. And it began right here."
From 1973 to 2006, CompuServe operated what the New York Times once labeled "the most international of the Big Three" tech companies of the 1980s.
Other tech giants later overshadowed CompuServe, but not before it quite literally changed the world.
That kind of far-reaching innovation is possible in Ohio. Just look at the Wright Brothers.
So what comes next? State, county and municipal officials must continue to do the work of ensuring our communities are ready for growth -- and that growth really does occur in a way that puts every Ohioan within commuting distance of a large employer. If we're ready, the next CompuServe might be just over the horizon.