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the first internet prototype, sends its first message. -
Project Gutenberg began, aiming to provide free access to public domain books and documents in various electronic formats. -
Email is invented by Ray Tomlinson, introducing the "@" symbol. -
ARPANET connects internationally for the first time -
A proposal was published to connect Arpa-like networks into an "inter-network" without central control, using a transmission protocol that later became TCP/IP. -
In 1975, John Vittal at the University of Southern California developed the first modern email program, MSG, introducing "Reply" and "Forward" features. -
The first PC Modem was developed by Dennis Hayes Dale Heatherington. It was introduced and initially sold to computer hobbyist. -
The first bulletin board system (BBS) was developed during a blizzard in Chicago in 1978. -
The first unsolicited commercial email message was sent out to 600 California Arpanet users by Gary Thuerk. -
MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) was created as a text-based virtual world, blending role-playing, interactive fiction, and online chat, paving the way for games like World of Warcraft and Second Life. -
Usenet, created by two graduate students, was an internet-based discussion system that allowed people worldwide to post and share messages in categorized newsgroups. -
CERN launched ENQUIRE, a hypertext program written by Tim Berners-Lee, to help scientists track people, software, and projects using hyperlinks. -
While Kevin MacKenzie is often credited with creating the emoticon in 1979, it was Scott Fahlman in 1982 who introduced the modern version 🙂 after a joke, replacing MacKenzie's original :-). -
In 1984, the Domain Name System (DNS) was created along with the first DNS servers. This system made internet addresses more user-friendly by allowing users to type in easy-to-remember domain names, which were then automatically converted to numerical IP addresses. -
Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant developed the WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link). Originally a community for readers and writers of the Whole Earth Review, it became known for its open, intellectual discussions. -
IRC was brought out, paving the way for real-time chat and the instant messaging programs we use today. -
One of the first major Internet worms was released in 1988. Referred to as “The Morris Worm”, it was written by Robert Tappan Morris and caused major interruptions across large parts of the Internet. -
After Apple withdrew from the AppleLink program, it was renamed America Online (AOL). AOL later played a key role in making the internet accessible and popular among average users. -
Tim Berners-Lee wrote a proposal for the World Wide Web, originally called "Mesh," to convince CERN of the benefits of a global hypertext system. The proposal was published in MacWorld and redistributed in May 1990. The term “World Wide Web” was coined during the development of the code later that year. -
The first commercial dial-up Internet provider, The World. The same year, Arpanet ceased to exist -
The code for the World Wide Web was written by Tim Berners-Lee, based on his proposal from the year before, along with the standards for HTML, HTTP, and URLs.
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Alan Emtage created the first search engine for a school project, this search engine was known as Archie Index. -
Tim Berners-Lee shared the first photo on the internet of a group of singers known as Les Horribles Cernettes. -
The first web page was created, just like the first email, its purpose was to explain what the world wide web was. -
The MP3 file format was accepted as a standard in 1991. MP3 files, being highly compressed, later beame a popular file format to share songs and entire albums via the internet. -
The first webcam was used in a Cambridge University computer lab, and its purpose was to watch a coffee maker so the lab users could avoid trips to an empty pot. -
Both the White House and the UN came online, starting the beginning of .gov and .org domain names. -
Secure online transactions can be traced back to 1994 -
David Chaum created DigiCash, which paved the way for Bitcoin and other forms of digital money. -
HoTMaiL (the capitalized letters are an homage to HTML), the first webmail service, was launched. -
Beyond webmail, the Internet also gets more social in 1996 with the creation of the first social media platform. Andrew Weinreich created Six Degrees, which features all our favorite social media hallmarks, including individual profiles and connections with friends. -
Wi-Fi has become nearly synonymous with the Internet, with its official creation dating back to 1997. That year, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) approved the 802.11 standard, laying the foundation for modern wireless connectivity. -
The first major news story to be broken online was the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal (also referred to as “Monicagate” among other nicknames), which was posted on The Drudge Report after Newsweek killed the story. -
Google went live in 1998, revolutionizing the way in which people find information online. -
Wikipedia launched in 2001, one of the websites that paved the way for collective web content generation/social media. -
Skype is released to the public, giving a user-friendly interface to Voice over IP calling. -
MySpace opens up its doors. -
Facebook launched in 2004, though at the time it was only open to college students and was called “The Facebook”; later on, “The” was dropped from the name -
YouTube launched, bringing free online video hosting and sharing to the masses. -
It was originally going to be called twittr (inspired by Flickr); the first Twitter message was “just setting up my twttr”. -
HULU AND NETFLIX SET UP STREAMING SERVICES -
The biggest innovation of 2007 was almost certainly the iPhone, which was almost wholly responsible for renewed interest in mobile web applications and design. -
BITCOIN CAME ABOUT -
With social media continuing to rise in popularity, more platforms popped up on the Internet. In 2010, the photo-sharing platform Instagram came on to the scene. -
Along with Instagram, Pinterest launched in 2010 to get people pinning and sharing recipes, crafts, and more. -
With platforms like Netflix and Hulu seeing success with streaming content online, HBO began to shift their content distribution online. In 2010, HBO launched HBO Go as their online streaming service. -
Snapchat, with it’s 10-second snaps, became an appealing social platform for people with shortening attention spans. -
the Adobe Creative Cloud was introduced. This took their disk-based software and put it online, allowing them to continually update and improve their software. -
With more people consuming video content, Twitter took advantage of the interest in this popular format. Twitter created Vine, the six-second video platform. -
In 2013, more people started banking online. Ten years later, 78% of Americans prefer to bank online. -
With Facebook continuing to experience success, they purchased the messaging app WhatsApp to help expand their global communication efforts. -
With video becoming an increasingly popular way to consume content, live streaming was created. In 2015, Facebook launched Facebook Live and Twitter purchased Periscope, a live streaming app. -
TikTok came to the scene in 2016, capturing attention of users across the globe. This platform became a hub for creating video content to share with others. -
With technology continuing to develop, more companies turned to voice assistive devices to create a better online experience. In 2016, Google launched their voice assistant through their Google Nest device and their Apollo app. -
Pokemon Go became a global phenomenon that took the Internet by storm. It brought augmented reality (AR) to the forefront. -
As the Internet continued to develop, companies focused on delivering better Internet services. By 2019, 5G rolled out to the public as a new way to connect online. -
With the COVID-19 pandemic, people shifted to working from home, which meant working online. As a result, things like video chatting software, productivity management programs, and online collaboration spaces grew in popularity. -
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) became a popular way for people to buy and sell digital art and collectibles. -
ChatGPT officially launched. This artificial intelligence (AI) platform helps people generate texts, gather information, and more.