History of Accounting

Are you an Accounting Historian?
Read all 8 infographics and you’ll be one! Be sure to brag to your friends.

America was at war, railroads began to lay track all over the world, and the accounting industry started to come together in the mid-to-late nineteenth century when the first professional organizations were founded.

Industrial booms and population growth introduce the world to the first skyscrapers, while accountanting legislation passed during this time set the course for the first class of CPAs.

The turn of the century saw some big firsts, like the first automobiles taking the road, the first telephone call, and the first World War. Big strides were also made in the world of accounting, with a focus on education.

Accounting comes into its own, adopting standards, controls and procedures as we move into the modern era. The liquor stopped flowing and the economy faltered, but the sounds of Benny Goodman and Glen Miller kept spirits alive.

Along with many other professions and industries, accounting starts to see more women enter the workplace as the world falls back into war. Once over, we’d see the rise of the television, the suburbs and its friend; the commute.

While the kids were fawning over the Beatles, camping out at Woodstock or firing up their 8 tracks, the accounting industry continued to formalize itself with the creation of publications and committees.

Accounting enters the digital age, and so does the rest of the world. Nintendo and Atarti become household names, the US experiences Reganomics, and everyone goes crazy for this new thing called the Internet.

We wrap up our series’ with accounting’s most recent past, the present, and its near future – set amongst the news scandals, websites and cultural climate that we all know so well.