Who would have guessed email is 44 years old this year? Hard to believe, but it was 1971 when computer engineer Ray Tomlinson sent the first electronic email message. Since then, email has grown to be one of the most used communication tools.My own memories of email date back to when I worked at an Ann Arbor software company. I was one of several guinea pigs for testing out the new email system. There were less than five people in the group. I remember the fun and frustration trying to figure out how the different options worked. How did you do that? and What setting did you add? were commonly heard as we worked through figuring out the email configuration before it was deployed to our 50+ member development group.In their infographic, ReachMail highlights key email milestones over the past 44 years. You’ll learn what head of state was first to send an electronic email message, when Google made Gmail publicly available, and when Sender Policy Framework (SPF) was established to verify email senders’ identities.Who knew it wasn’t until 1982 when the word email was first used? Check out the key takeaways from the infographic. Source: Email is officially middle-aged! – ReachMail BlogReachMail Blog.Key Takeaways1971: Computer engineer Ray Tomlinson sends the first electronic mail message. (Tomlinson has since forgotten what the message said)1976: Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first head of state to send an electronic mail message.1978: The first electronically sent advertisement goes out, over a network of government university computers.1982: The word email is first used. The first ever smiley emotion is invented by Scott Fahlman.1989: Radio man Elwood Edwards records AOL’s iconic Welcome, File’s done, Goodbye, and You’ve got mail!1997: Microsoft buys Hotmail for about $400 million. Microsoft Outlook is released.1998: The word spam is added to the Oxford Dictionary. Warner Bros. releases You’ve Got Mail which tops $250 million at the box office.1999: A fraudulent email claiming that Bill Gates plans to share his wealth with Internet users begins to circulate. It is forwarded to millions.2003: On an episode of The Simpsons, Homer reveals his email address, chunkylover53@aol.com. George W. Bush signs into law the CAN-SPAM Act, the US’ first national standards for sending commercial emails.2004: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) codifies email spam laws. LOL, and other Internet acronyms are officially recognized in the Oxford English Dictionary. Multimedia emails are introduced after the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) World Congress in Vienna.2005: SPF, the first technology that verifies email senders’ identities, is established.2007: Google makes Gmail available to the public worldwide. Anti-phishing security protocol DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is adopted by the Internet Engineering Task Force.2011: A study finds that the most easily broken email password is password, followed by sequences like 123456 and qwerty.2012: Number of Americans accessing email on a mobile device reaches 90 million, with 64 percent reporting that they do so daily.2013: Google rolls out Gmail tabs, ensuring smarter sorting of email and less email overload.2014: Sony Entertainment is hacked, and hundreds of sensitive emails are released. North Korea is blamed by the U.S. government, but denies responsibility.Do you remember when you first started using email? Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading…Related7 Infographics About Email and Email MarketingWhen my friend Lee contacted me last week, he asked about an email infographic I had published this year. “Deborah, I remember it was something about how to be more productive with email, but I can’t remember when you posted it. Can you help me out?” I did a quick…In “Email marketing”Top Productivity Killers at Work [Infographic]Managing your time and staying productive at work is a challenge. Between meetings, phone calls, report writing, and answering emails, how can you get on with getting your work done? In this infographic, PulpPR highlights productivity killers at the office and offers solutions that will get you back on track…In “Miscellaneous”On Fireworks, Concerts, and Staying Connected with CustomersLike many people throughout the United States last weekend, I enjoyed an extended holiday break to celebrate the Fourth of July with my family. We enjoyed music, barbecue, a walk through the Krohn Conservatory, and a trip to Findlay Market in Cincinnati as we caught up with family members and…In “Email marketing” read more