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1969 - Launch of ARPANET
This machine was the first instance of the internet and was used to send the very first message over its server. -
1971 - The first email
A random string of letters -
1974 - The first online game
Maze War was a game that existed before the internet. It was later adapted to a version for use on ARPANET in 1974. This would be considered the first online game -
1978 - The first spam email
The first spammy email gets sent over ARPANET in 1978. -
1987 - Invention of the GIF
Animated gifs won't arrive until 1989, and they won't repeat until 1995. -
1989 - Dawn of the World Wide Web
Computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee creates three technologies that form the foundation of the internet we use today. -
1990 - The first search engine
Archie, the world's first internet search engine. Archie makes it much easier to find specific files on the constantly-expanding internet. -
1993 - The Web goes worldwide
CERN makes its web source code public domain, or free for anyone to use. Now anyone who wants to learn can host a server or create a website. -
1994 - World Wide Web standards
Their mission: to make sure the web will be accessible to everyone. -
1995-1997 - Social media goes mainstream
SixDegrees.com introduces user profiles, friend groups, and other features that will soon become standard -
1996 - The first smartphone
Smartphones took the functionality of PDAs to the next level with cellular internet connectivity. -
1997 - The first pop-up
An innocent sounding feature of the freshly released JavaScript web language allows online advertisers to create pop-up ads in 1997. -
1999 - Wi-Fi as we know it
A group of important tech companies forms the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance. -
2005 - The broadband revolution
In 2005, broadband use surpasses dial-up internet usage for the first time. -
2007 - iPhone introduced
Apple revolutionizes the way phone users access the internet when they release the first iPhone. -
2008 - Internet in space
NASA successful tests internet in space via DTN software. -
2010 - Social media becomes a tool of dissent
The Arab Spring shows the world that social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be used to organize grassroots movements quickly. -
2012-Present - Machine learning takes off
recently the internet become fast enough, computers smart enough, and data large enough to make machine learning practical. For example ai has been making a huge wave and impact on many industries -
2013 - Smartphones everywhere
For the first time, the majority of American adults (56%) own a smartphone, up from 35% just two years earlier. Among adults ages 25-34, smartphone ownership is closer to 81%. -
2014 - Smart speakers & virtual assistants
virtual assistants become more popular as smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home come on the market.