CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST CPA LAW, THE FIRST CPAS, AND THE FIRST CPA EXAM CONTINUES

Eighteen ninety-six was the year the first CPA law was enacted in the United States, the year the first CPA certificates were issued, the year of formation of the first board of accountants, and the year of the first CPA examination. It took place in New York, and The CPA Journal's commemoration of these important events began last month with the cover article by Paul Miranti of Rutgers. The AICPA has marked the event by calling for, selecting, and now circulating a series of short articles telling and interpreting some of the historic events of the early days of the profession. The CPA Journal will be publishing a number of those articles for the remainder of 1996 in the News & Views section. This month the editors chose a piece by Walter Schmidt of the New York State Society of CPAs. Schmidt is known for his interest in computers and technology: His article on using the Internet appeared in the January 1996 issue of the Journal. It is no wonder his focus is not on 100 years ago, but rather 100 years from now. *