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Launch of ARPANET
(Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) It was the first computer-to-computer signal sent between UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute on October 29th
(https://www.darpa.mil/attachments/ARPANET_final.pdf) -
The First Email Is Sent
The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson, who was an American computer programmer -
The First Online Game
Maze War was the first peer-to-peer computer video game. It was written by high school interns who connected two IMLAC computers with serial cables so two players could play at once. -
Transmission Control Protocol & Internet Protocol
Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn developed the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), the primary protocols for the internet, which allowed different networks to communicate to each other -
The First Spam Email
The first spam email was sent on May 3, 1978 by Gary Thuerk, who was a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corporation. He sent an unsolicited email to around 400 users on Arpanet. The email was regarded as "the birth of spam". -
Invention of the GIF
Steve Wichita was working at CompuServe in 1987 when he invented the GIF. In 2013 he told The New York Times, "I saw the format I wanted in my head and then I started programming". The first image was an airplane and insisted using a hard J sound for the pronunciation. -
The First Search Engine
The first search engine was Archie, invented by Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He created Archie to automate the process of searching for software on the university's slow internet connection. Archie made it more accessible to discover specific files on the internet -
The NCSA Mosaic
The Mosaic web browser was the first widely available web browser. It marked the beginning of the internet's commercial era and the growth of online content -
Siri
Siri was released with the iPhone 4S October 2011. It was the first virtual assistance to be widely available on a big tech company's smartphone.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y-GZp_UUUo) -
Match.com
Match.com is one of the earliest online dating services that laid the foundation for online dating. However, it was web-based instead of app-based.
(https://mashable.com/roundup/best-dating-apps-2024) -
Start of Amazon
Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in July of 1994. It launched as an online bookstore on July 16, 1995. It has expanded to become a global company that sells products and services -
Wi-Fi
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) invented the first Wi-Fi standard, 802.11, and then it was introduced by the Wi-Fi Alliance 3 years later in 2000 -
First Social Media Platform
Andrew Weinreich launched Sixdegrees.com which allowed for people to upload a profile and make friends with other users -
Netflix
Netflix was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in 1997 and then launched in January 2007. It stared as a company that sent users DVDs by mail. -
Google was Founded
It revolutionized search engines and influenced how users find information online -
MP3 Player
The first MP3 player was released in 1998. It was a portable device that could store and play audio files. The format became very popular and by 2000 it was the dominant format for digital music -
First Emoji
The first emoji was created by Japanese software developer Shigetaka Kurita. He designed 176 emojis for NNT Docomo's mobile internet platform, to make communication more fun and stylish -
Wikipedia
Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. It was derived from the words "wiki" and "encyclopedia". -
Web 2.0 Emerged
It emphasized user-generated content, social networking, and interactive web applications. Platforms such as Youtube, MySpace, and Facebook became dynamic. -
iPhone introduced
The first iPhone was released on June 29, 2007. It introduced us to the world of touchscreens and revolutionary mobile phone apps -
Internet in Space
NASA tests internet in space and it was successful through DTN software.
(https://www.kiplinger.com/business/starlinks-internet-beamed-from-space-is-taking-off) -
Zoom
It was founded in 2011 by Eric Yuan, a former executive at Cisco. It aimed to improve video conferencing for businesses and became widely popular during COVID-19 from its user-friendly interface.