Before diving into the Anniversary Edition PDF, let's take a brief look at the history of Pitman shorthand. Sir Isaac Pitman, an English educator, developed the first Pitman shorthand system in the 1830s. The system was designed to be a more efficient and practical method of writing, allowing students to take notes quickly and accurately. Over the years, the system has evolved, with the New Era Shorthand being introduced in the 1960s.