The history of email entails an evolving set of technologies and standards that culminated in the email systems in use today.
Computer-based messaging between users of the same … See more

The first electrical transmission of messages began in the 19th century in the form of the electrical telegraph, which started to replace earlier forms of telegraphy from … See more

With the introduction of MIT's Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) in 1961, for the first time multiple users could log into a central system from remote terminals, and store and share files on the central disk. Informal methods of using such shared files to pass … See more

Early interoperability among independent systems included:
• The Coloured Book protocols ran on academic networks in the United Kingdom from 1975 until 1992. See more

The term mail in the context of messages between computer users has been in use since the 1960s. In RFCs relating to the ARPANET, … See more

To facilitate electronic mail exchange between remote sites and with other organizations, telecommunication links, such as dialup modems or leased lines, provided means to transport email globally, creating local and global networks. This was … See more

In May 1979, Xerox ran a television advertisement for its 1973 Xerox Alto system, demonstrating the 1978 Distributed Message System (DMS) client, known as Laurel, to the US public. An application Xerox described as replacing Xerox's earlier … See more