Email

Email is short for electronic mail. It is a way to send letters using computers and the internet. You type a message and click send, and it gets to the other person in seconds. Email was invented in 1971 by a man named Ray Tomlinson. Today, people send billions of emails every day.

How Email Began

Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971. He also chose the @ symbol to separate the name from the computer. Back then, only a few scientists used email. By the 1990s, regular people started using it too. Now almost everyone with a computer or phone has an email address.

Why Email Is Useful

Email is very fast and saves paper. You can send messages to people all over the world. You can also send pictures, videos, and other files along with your message. Email can be read on computers, tablets, and phones. It is free to use, which makes it even better than regular mail.

Fun Facts

• The first email was sent in 1971.
• Over 300 billion emails are sent every day around the world.
• The @ symbol in email was picked by Ray Tomlinson.

Did You Know?

The first email ever sent was just a test message, and Ray Tomlinson could not even remember what it said later.