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German watchmaking company Junghans introduces the MEGA 1, believed to be the world's first radio-controlled wristwatch.
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Linus Torvalds creates the first version of Linux, a collaboratively written computer operating system.
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American-born mathematician John Daugman perfects the mathematics that make iris scanning systems possible. Iris scans are the most accurate form of biometrics (identity checking based on sophisticated body measurements)— a form of identification fingerprints or DNA profiling.
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Israeli computer scientists Alon Cohen and Lior Haramaty invent VoIP for sending telephone calls over the Internet.
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Broadcast.com becomes one of the world's first online radio stations.
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Pierre Omidyar launches the eBay auction website.
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WRAL-HD broadcasts the first high-definition television (HDTV) signal in the United States.
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Bolt.com was started as the first social networking and video website.
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SixDegrees.com was a social network service website that lasted from 1997 to 2001 and was based on the Web of Contacts model of social networking.
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AOL is a web portal and online service provider based in New York. It is a brand marketed by Oath, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications.
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Electronics companies agree to make Wi-Fi a worldwide standard for wireless Internet.
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Open Diary is an online diary community, an early example of social networking software. It was founded on October 22, 1998.
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Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!.
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Windows Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger) is a discontinued instant messaging client developed by Microsoft. A popular messaging, video and voice calling service
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LiveJournal, an early blogging platform and social network launches, where users can keep a blog, journal or diary.
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Habbo (previously known as Habbo Hotel) is a social networking service and online community aimed at teenagers.[
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Apple revolutionizes music listening by unveiling its iPod MP3 music player.
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Windows Messenger is released, and is shipped with Windows XP. This is an integrated version of MSN Messenger.
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The Wikipedia online encyclopedia is founded by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales.
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Bram Cohen develops BitTorrent file-sharing, a superbly clever way of sharing files.
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Friendster was a social gaming site based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was originally a social networking service website.
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iRobot Corporation releases the first version of its Roomba® vacuum cleaning robot.
