Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself

Andrew Pettegree tells us how the news spread before print

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know About Itself launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood▲67

   Where the big ideas of the modern era came from

   2016 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   The Signal and the Noise▲73

   Why so many predictions fail - but some don't

   2015 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   How We Learn▲64

   The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens

   2016 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Little Bets▲89

   How breakthrough ideas emerge from small discoveries

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   informed news: summaries▲170

   Get the news you need, no matter how much time you have.

   2023 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Fooled By Randomness ▲105

   The hidden role of chance in life and markets

   2015 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   The Outline▲226

   A new kind of publication for a new kind of human

   2016 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Sapiens▲185

   A brief history of humankind

   2015 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   News Genius▲66

   Make sense of the news

   2014 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter▲96

    How today's smartest businesses grow themselves

    2015 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Inventology▲72

    How we dream up things that change the world

    2016 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Understanding Media▲70

    The Extensions of Man

    2016 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Vox▲124

    Understand the news.

    2014 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    The Memo▲91

    A new online publication for people curious about the future

    2015 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    The Sociable▲93

    Documenting how technology transforms societies

    2017 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Predictably Irrational▲96

    The hidden forces that shape our decisions

    2015 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Timeline▲157

    Get the history behind today's breaking news.

    2015 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Prosper!▲55

    How to create a world worth inheriting

    2016 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Handy News▲79

    News without the noise

    2021 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Talk Like TED▲92

    The 9 public-speaking secrets of the world's top minds

    2015 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    What's News▲107

    Your instant briefing from the Wall Street Journal newsroom

    2015 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Swayed: The Power of Context to Increase Influence▲64

    Before you can change the world, you must first be heard.

    2016 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Pre-suasion▲68

    A revolutionary way to influence and persuade

    2016 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    GONG▲114

    The world's most shared stories

    2016 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →