John Robert Gregg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Robert Gregg
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| Born | June 17, 1867 County Monaghan, Ireland |
| Died | February 23, 1948 (aged 80) New York City, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Educator, publisher, Humanitarian, inventor |
| Language | English, Irish |
| Citizenship | Irish |
| Notable works | Gregg Shorthand |
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John Robert Gregg (born June 17, 1867 – died February 23, 1948) was an amazing Irish educator, publisher, and inventor. He is famous for creating his own special writing system called Gregg Shorthand. Shorthand is a fast way to write using symbols and abbreviations. It helps people quickly write down spoken words.
Contents
The Early Life of John Robert Gregg
Growing Up in Ireland
John Robert Gregg was born in a small village in Ireland called Shantonagh. He was the youngest child in his family. In 1872, his family moved to Rockcorry, another village in County Monaghan.
When John Robert started school, something sad happened. On his second day, his teacher hit his head with another student's head. This accident badly hurt John Robert's hearing. He found it very hard to hear his teachers after that. Because he couldn't hear well, some people thought he wasn't very smart.
Discovering Shorthand Writing
In 1877, a journalist friend visited John Robert's family. This friend knew a special writing system called Pitman Shorthand. He could write down everything the local preacher said, word for word! John Robert's father was very impressed. He wanted all his children to learn shorthand.
However, John Robert's family thought he was "too simple" to learn it. But John Robert didn't give up. He found a different shorthand book by Samuel Taylor. He taught himself this system all by himself. He didn't need to hear to learn from the book.
Because his family needed money, John Robert had to leave school early. He was not even 13 years old. He started working in a law office to help his family.
Gregg's Amazing Career
Creating a New Shorthand System
John Robert Gregg wanted to make shorthand even better. He worked with another person, Thomas Malone, who had a shorthand system. But Gregg felt Malone didn't give him credit for his ideas.
So, Gregg decided to create his own system. In 1888, he published his new shorthand in a small book. He called it Light-Line Phonography: The Phonetic Handwriting. He published it in Liverpool, England.
Success in America
In 1893, John Robert Gregg moved to the United States. That same year, he published his famous book, Gregg Shorthand. It became a huge success!
Gregg settled in Chicago. There, he wrote many more books about shorthand and business. He even started his own company, the Gregg Publishing Company. His shorthand system became one of the most popular in the world.
See also
In Spanish: John Robert Gregg para niños
- Gregg shorthand
- Shorthand
- The Gregg Reference Manual
