E-Mail

E-mail, short for "electronic mail," is a means of transmitting messages virtually instantaneously through the Internet. Created sometime around 1965 (its exact origin is not entirely clear) this technology has helped to dramatically changed the way people communicate and do business in the 21st century. E-mail has also helped to spread the flow of unsolicited marketing messages, commonly referred to has Spam.

Fast Facts:

1. Started sometime in 1965
2. SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
3. Sometimes spelled email
4. Ray Tomlinson introduced the idea of using an @ symbol to separate a persons name from their machine (domain).

History

It is difficult to trace the exact origin of the first E-mail messages. In 1965 MIT was one of the first to create software that allowed multiple users to login into a single machine. This technology was known as Compatible Time-Sharing System and allowed users to leave electronic messages for one another. Beyond this the ARPANET helped to greatly increase E-mail usage as it quickly became the favorite application of many on the network.

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