(image credit: by cottonbro studio )
The first email ever sent wasn’t a message of importance—it was likely just “QWERTYUIOP.” But in 1971, Ray Tomlinson’s test message quietly launched the digital communication revolution. He also introduced the “@” symbol, turning it into an everyday staple in our online lives.
In 1971, a computer engineer named Ray Tomlinson made history by sending the very first email—at a time when computers were the size of refrigerators and only used by researchers and government agencies. The message wasn’t profound; it was reportedly something like “QWERTYUIOP”, typed just to test whether the system worked. But that simple test marked the beginning of one of the most transformative technologies in modern communication.
What made this email revolutionary was that it allowed digital messages to be sent between two separate computers on the ARPANET, a precursor to the modern internet. Before this, messages could only be left for users on the same machine. Tomlinson’s system opened the door for communication across distances, laying the groundwork for the global, instant messaging we now take for granted.
Even more iconic? Ray Tomlinson also introduced the use of the “@” symbol to separate the username from the host computer in an email address (e.g., username@host). This small decision became a universal standard—one that’s used by billions of people every day.
Fun fact: Tomlinson once admitted he didn’t realize the significance of what he had done at the time. In his own words, it was just something he thought “seemed like a neat idea.”
