Witness History
Witness History
The unlikely pioneers of online shopping
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April 10, 2020
11 minutes
Available for over a year
In 1984, a 72-year-old grandmother became the first to try a new online shopping system, years before the arrival of the internet. Mrs Jane Snowball had been given new Videotex technology which allowed her to order her groceries using a tv and a remote control. The system was part of a community project to help the elderly and vulnerable in the English town of Gateshead. The technology was the brainchild of Michael Aldrich, head of the communications firm, Rediffusion (later ROCC). Alex Last spoke to John Phelan, who designed the system's online shopping application.
Photo: Mrs Snowball shopping from home using her remote control and tv. (Gateshead Council)