A Brief History of the Internet - First Website, First Meme..

Summary

This video explores the key moments in the history of the internet, starting from its origins during the Cold War to modern milestones like the first email, website, and social media posts. It highlights the contributions of figures such as Ray Tomlinson and Tim Berners-Lee, and discusses the evolution of platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. The video also touches on early memes and mobile internet. In the end, concerns about the future of the internet, specifically Article 13, are addressed, urging viewers to take action to protect its freedom.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The internet was initially developed by the U.S. to ensure faster knowledge transfer and survival in case of a Soviet attack after Sputnik’s launch.
• 📧 The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971, initially just as an experiment on his own time and was barely recognized by his company.
• 🌐 Tim Berners-Lee created the first website in 1990 to make the internet easier to use by introducing clickable links for a user-friendly experience.
• 🎸 The first photo uploaded to the internet was a fun image of a parody band at CERN, marking an early example of internet-based multimedia sharing.
• 🔎 Web Crawler, launched in 1994, was the first full-text search engine, predating Google, but it soon faded after Google’s rise in popularity.
• 📝 Justin Hall’s “Links from the Underground” in 1994 is considered one of the first personal blogs, even before the term 'blog' was coined in 1997.
• 📱 The Nokia 9000 Communicator in 1996 was the first phone with internet capabilities, marking the start of mobile internet, though limited by high costs.
• 👤 Mahir Çağrı became the first internet celebrity in 1999, with his personal website drawing millions of visitors worldwide.
• 📹 The first YouTube video, uploaded by co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo in 2005, started a cultural shift toward user-generated video content.
• 🙂 The first recognized meme, the smiley face emoticon, was created in 1982 by Scott Fahlman to help convey emotions in text, evolving into the digital memes we know today.

Q & A

What was the original purpose of the Internet?

The Internet was originally born out of sheer panic by the United States after the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviets. Its aim was to increase the chances of America surviving a catastrophic Soviet nuclear attack and to satisfy the need for faster knowledge transfer.

Who sent the first email and in what year?

The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson to himself in 1971.

What was the significance of the first website, and who created it?

The first website, created by Tim Berners-Lee in late 1990, was significant because it introduced the concept of the World Wide Web. It allowed users to browse information easily, making the Internet accessible to the average person.

What was the first picture ever uploaded to the web?

The first picture uploaded to the web was a photo of a parody band formed by Tim Berners-Lee's colleagues at CERN. This happened in 1992.

What was the first full-text web search engine, and what happened to it?

The first full-text web search engine was WebCrawler, launched in 1994. It faded into obscurity after the arrival of Google three and a half years later.

Who is considered the first Internet celebrity, and what was his claim to fame?

Mahir Çağrı from Turkey is considered the first Internet celebrity. His website, established in 1999, received over 12 million visits, and he gained significant fame for his quirky content.

What were the first words ever spoken on Skype, and in what language?

The first words spoken on Skype were in Estonian, the language of the country that invented the technology. The English translation was 'Hello, can you hear me?'

Who was the first non-founder to join Facebook, and what was his ID number?

The first non-founder to join Facebook was Ari Hasit, a university student from Israel, with an ID number of 4. The first three accounts were used for testing.

What was the first video uploaded to YouTube, and when was it posted?

The first video uploaded to YouTube was 'Me at the Zoo,' posted by Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005.

What was the first meme, and how did it originate?

The first meme recognizable as a meme today is the 'Dancing Baby,' which originated on October 22, 1996, as part of an experimental 3D character animation software test. It became the first truly viral meme.

Outlines

00:00

📡 The Origin and Evolution of the Internet

This paragraph introduces the historical background of the internet, which was originally developed in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1. The U.S. aimed to improve knowledge transfer and boost its chances of surviving a nuclear attack. Although initially intended for military purposes, the internet became a transformative technology. The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971, and the development of the internet accelerated from there, including the introduction of the World Wide Web in 1991. The paragraph sets the stage for a deeper dive into key moments and figures in the history of the internet.

05:01

🌐 The Creation of the World Wide Web

Tim Berners-Lee's invention of the World Wide Web in 1990 was a monumental step in making the internet accessible to everyone. While the internet already existed, it was difficult to use and required expertise. Berners-Lee envisioned a system that allowed users to browse information easily through clickable links. The first website explained what the web was and how to use it, but it was built on a NeXT computer, a company founded by Steve Jobs after leaving Apple. Interestingly, the web's creation may not have happened the same way if Jobs hadn’t left Apple.

10:03

🖼️ The First Photo and Search Engine on the Web

The first photo ever uploaded to the web was a playful image of a parody band formed by CERN employees, marking a fun moment in internet history. The first full-text search engine, WebCrawler, launched in 1994, allowing users to search web pages much like modern search engines. Though it was groundbreaking, it faded into obscurity with the rise of Google three years later.

📱 Early Milestones in Blogging and Mobile Internet

This section covers significant firsts in internet history, including the creation of the first personal blog by Justin Hall in 1994 and the coining of the term 'weblog' in 1997, which was later shortened to 'blog.' It also highlights the first mobile phone with internet connectivity, the Nokia 9000 Communicator, launched in 1996. However, the high cost of mobile internet access made it unsustainable until 1999, when Japan’s i-mode service marked the true beginning of the mobile internet era.

🎥 The World's First Internet Celebrity and Skype's First Words

Mahira Calgary from Turkey became the world’s first internet celebrity in 1999, with his website achieving 12 million visits, even gaining attention from Bill Gates. He became famous purely through the internet, inspiring later online personalities. The first words spoken on Skype were in Estonian, the native language of its developers, emphasizing the platform's international roots. These milestones showcase how the internet shaped global communication.

👤 The First Facebook User and the First YouTube Video

The first person to sign up for Facebook (outside its founders) was Ari Hursit, a student from Israel. This paragraph reflects on how Facebook has since grown to billions of users. The first video uploaded to YouTube, a casual clip at the San Diego Zoo, was posted in 2005. At the time, the creators had no idea how influential the platform would become.

🐦 First Tweet, Instagram Post, and the Evolution of Memes

This part highlights more internet 'firsts,' such as the first tweet by Jack Dorsey in 2006, which simply said, 'just setting up my twttr.' The first Instagram post was uploaded by the platform's co-founder Kevin Systrom in 2010, featuring a photo of his dog. It also discusses the origin of memes, tracing the first recognizable meme back to the smiley face emoticon in 1992, and the first viral internet meme, the 'Dancing Baby,' from 1996.

⚖️ The Threat of Article 13 and the Future of the Internet

This closing paragraph raises concerns about the future of the internet, warning of the potential impact of Article 13, a European Union proposal that could limit freedom of expression by enforcing strict copyright laws. If passed, this regulation could restrict user-generated content and leave only big companies with the ability to post content online. The paragraph ends on a call for viewers to take action and preserve the internet as we know it.

Keywords

💡Internet

The Internet is a global network that connects millions of private, public, academic, and business networks. In the video, it is described as originally being developed by the U.S. government during the Cold War to ensure survival and facilitate faster knowledge transfer. Over time, it evolved into a technology that is integral to daily life and communication, surpassing any previous invention in influence.

💡Email

Email, or electronic mail, was one of the first major applications of the Internet, allowing users to send messages electronically. Ray Tomlinson is credited with sending the first email in 1971, which played a crucial role in the evolution of online communication. The video highlights how Tomlinson created the email program in his free time, and despite its significance, his company initially showed little interest.

💡World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a system that allows for the retrieval and display of documents and other resources through hyperlinks and browsers. Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the web in 1989, making the Internet more accessible by allowing users to click through linked information. The video explains how the first website was created at CERN in 1990, laying the groundwork for modern websites and web usage.

💡Search Engine

A search engine is a tool that helps users find information on the web by indexing and retrieving pages based on keywords. The video mentions 'Web Crawler,' launched in 1994 as the first full-text search engine, which paved the way for more advanced search engines like Google. Search engines revolutionized how people navigate and access the vast resources available on the Internet.

💡Blog

A blog is a personal or informal website that is regularly updated with posts, often resembling a diary or journal. The video credits Justin Hall's 'Justin's Links from the Underground' as one of the first personal blogs, launched in 1994, and explains how the term 'weblog' was later coined in 1997. Blogs have since become a popular way for individuals to share opinions, stories, and news on the web.

💡Mobile Internet

The mobile internet refers to accessing the web through a mobile phone. The video highlights the first phone with internet connectivity, the Nokia 9000 Communicator, launched in 1996. However, the cost was prohibitively high until the launch of i-mode in Japan in 1999, marking the true birth of the mobile internet, which transformed how society interacts with technology.

💡Social Media

Social media platforms are websites or apps that enable users to create, share, and engage with content in an interactive environment. The video touches on early milestones of social media, such as the first Facebook account created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004. Social media has fundamentally altered communication, allowing for real-time interaction on a global scale.

💡Meme

A meme is a piece of content, often humorous, that spreads rapidly across the Internet. The video discusses how the first meme was a smiley face created by Scott Fahlman in 1992, intended to clarify jokes in text-based communication. It also mentions the 'Dancing Baby' from 1996, which became the first viral video meme, illustrating the cultural phenomenon of memes in digital spaces.

💡First YouTube Video

The first video ever uploaded to YouTube was 'Me at the Zoo,' posted on April 23, 2005, by Jawed Karim, one of the co-founders. The video, which was filmed at the San Diego Zoo, marks the birth of the world’s most popular video-sharing platform. The video highlights this moment to show how platforms like YouTube have grown into massive cultural hubs over time.

💡Article 13

Article 13 refers to a controversial European Union directive aimed at reforming copyright law in the digital space. The video warns about the potential implications of Article 13, which could limit user-generated content and force platforms to heavily filter uploads. Critics argue it threatens the free and open nature of the Internet, with concerns raised by figures like Tim Berners-Lee and civil rights organizations.

Highlights

The Internet was born out of the United States' panic after the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1.

The first email was sent by Ray Tomlinson to himself in 1971.

Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in 1989 to make the internet easier to use by linking information together.

The first website went online in December 1990, created by Tim Berners-Lee while working at CERN.

The first photo uploaded to the web was a parody band photo from CERN employees in 1992.

WebCrawler, the first full-text web browser search engine, launched in 1994.

Justin Hall created the first personal blog in 1994, named 'Justin’s Links from the Underground.'

The first mobile phone with internet connectivity was the Nokia 9000 Communicator, launched in 1996.

Mahira Cagri from Turkey became the first internet celebrity in 1999, with a website that gained 12 million visits.

The first words on Skype were spoken in Estonian in April 2003, translated as 'Hello, can you hear me?'

Mark Zuckerberg was the first real Facebook user, with ID number 4, in 2004.

The first video on YouTube, 'Me at the Zoo,' was uploaded by Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005.

Jack Dorsey posted the first tweet on March 21, 2006, which read 'just setting up my twttr.'

The first photo on Instagram was a picture of a dog next to a taco stand, uploaded by Kevin Systrom in 2010.

The first viral meme, the 'Dancing Baby,' originated in 1996 as a 3D character animation and became widely recognized.

Transcripts

you were watching television TV

[Music]

hi welcome to another ColdFusion video

the Internet it was originally born out

of sheer panic of the United States

after the launch of Sputnik 1 from the

Soviets its aim was to further the

chances of America surviving a

catastrophic Soviet nuclear attack and

also satisfy the need for faster

knowledge transfer but today the

internet stands for something very

different it has now become much larger

more influential and integral than any

technology developed before the Internet

has been around since the 1970s but the

public only gained access in 1991 but as

with everything there's been a few key

moments that would lead to what it is

today but what are those key moments and

what are the stories behind the

individuals and moments that would

become the first steps in an incredible

time for human history in this episode

you hopefully learn something new and

have a little bit of fun along the way

we'll go through the history of the

internet looking at key moments that

would change the world although somewhat

disputed the general consensus is that

the first email was sent by ray

Tomlinson to himself in 1971 he is a

quote from him in an interview

I was actually working on a mail program

but it was programmed for a single

computer so that you could send messages

from yourself to another user on the

same time sharing computer and I had

written a couple of programs to transfer

files and it occurred to me that since

the mailbox that I was sending these

messages to was nothing more than a file

I could send that file across the

network instead of keeping it within the

same machine and so I put two programs

together modified the code a little bit

then the first email program was was

created ironically what would become one

of the most popular applications on the

Internet was a program Tomlinson wrote

on his own time it just seemed like an

interesting thing to do with a computer

in the network and so I just did it the

funny thing is that he wrote the program

for email in his own time and nobody at

his company really cared about it it was

also rather pioneered these of the

outside for the email

[Music]

the first website came online in late

1990 at the time Tim berners-lee was

working at CERN laboratories he wanted

to make the internet easier to use at

the time he literally had to be an

expert computer commands just to work

the Internet he wanted to link

information together and let users

browser twirl by themselves what he had

in mind was the World Wide Web

well there was 1989 and the Internet

already existed and that you could send

email but there was no websites I sold

those no HDPE was not Gmail there was no

space or things you could click through

and it began because I was frustrated it

didn't exist and my imagined a system

where you could just click from one to

the other and that was so compelling

that I decided that I wanted to build it

and on the 20th of December 1990 the

first web page was put up and you're

looking at it right now for the first

time the internet was within reach of

the average person everybody could use

it now the first web page was simply a

little bit of a guide as to what the

world wide web was and how to use it the

original page no longer exists but a

later copy from 1992 can be found at

this web address here's a fun fact as it

turns out the world wide web was built

on a next computer and it was actually

Steve Jobs he founded the company next

during his time away from Apple after

being fired in 1985 his Steve Jobs

hadn't been fired we may not have the

web as we know it's pretty interesting

how things link together

[Music]

so what was the first picture uploaded

on the web again

it was Tim berners-lee and this time for

a bit of fun in 1990 some of Tim's

fellow employees at CERN formed a parody

band one day in 1992 Tim asked to scan

some of the photos and said that he

wanted to publish them on some

information system called the World Wide

Web that he'd just invented they didn't

really think much of it and they handed

over the photos little did they know

that this was going to be a historic

moment the very first picture in the

internet what about the first search

engine

although internet search engines had

been around for a while even before the

World Wide Web

they were very limited in nature and

only contained a few pages the first

full text web browser search engine like

the ones we have today is something that

you've probably never heard about it was

called web crawler and was launched back

in 1994

it wasn't until 3 and a half years later

when Google arrived on the scene that

web crawler basically faded into

obscurity

[Music]

[Applause]

in 1994 five years before the 10-block

was even coined justin hall was doing

just that

justin's web-based diary was called

justin's links from the underground it

offered an early guide to the web but

drifted into personal territory over

time the New York Times Magazine

referred to him as one of the founding

fathers a personal blog wasn't until

1997 that the term web blog was coined

this later got shortened to the word

blog

the first mobile phone with Internet the

first phone with Internet connectivity

was the Nokia and 9000 communicator it

launched in Finland back in 1996 but

unfortunately the actual cost of

accessing the Internet was so high that

it was pretty much unsustainable

it wasn't until 1999 that I mode was

launched in Japan and this was

considered the birth of the mobile

internet of course the marriage between

the mobile phone and the Internet has

gotten so large that has completely

changed Society the world's first

internet celebrity the first internet

celebrity was mahira Calgary from Turkey

anyone under the age of 25 is probably

scratching their heads on who this guy

is but he was the original internet

celebrity in 1999 his web site kisi org

established him as the first person to

achieve celebrity status solely through

the internet his web site was full of

broken English and happy snaps but by

2000 Bill Gates was even said to be one

of his fans

mahira ended up in the Guinness Book of

Records for the most page visits to a

personal home page estimated at 12

million at the time some say that he was

the original inspiration for the Borat

movie in 2006

[Music]

the first words ever said on skype the

first words to be said on skype weren't

in English but in Estonian the mother

tongue of the country that invented the

technology in April of 2003 five words

were added by a member of the

development team the English translation

was hello can you hear me I guess it's

only fitting

he was the first Facebook user ignoring

Facebook's current controversy and calls

for Mark Zuckerberg to resign it might

be interesting to take a look at the

very first person to sign up to Facebook

so he was it the first real person on

Facebook was actually ID number for the

first three accounts were just for user

testing as he can guess ID number four

was Mark Zuckerberg himself the first

non founder to join Facebook was Ari

hoursit a university student from Israel

now with around two billion monthly

users it's fair to say that he started

something the first youtube video so I'm

sure all of you have probably seen this

before but the first video posted on

YouTube was by jared creme at the San

Diego Zoo it was uploaded on April 23rd

2005 and has been watched over 57

million times keep in mind that at the

time when they posted this video they

had no idea how big YouTube was going to

be was just a fun technical project for

them

[Music]

what was the first tweet the first tweet

was written by co-founder Jack Dorsey on

March 21st 2006 it simply read just

setting up my Twitter so what about the

first Instagram post the first photo

posted on Instagram was uploaded on July

26 2010 by Instagram CEO and co-founder

Kevin Systrom it was a photo of his dog

a golden retriever next to a taco stand

so I've traveled from 1971 to 2010 many

of the events that we've covered were

the very first steps in movements that

would change the way society interacts

and communicates so this last one is at

the top of the list not because of its

date or significance but because of its

relevance to the modern Internet

the first me it goes without saying that

traditional memes have had their day and

more often than not they fade into

obscurity pretty fast the story of the

first meme is actually pretty

interesting and the answer depends on

how you look at it the very first meme

could be recognized at the smiley face

it was first posted on the 19th of

September 1992 a Scott Fahlman during

his time at Carnegie Mellon University

he noticed that there was no way of

expressing human emotion between

text-based forum conversations between

computers because of this it was chaos

at the time jokes would be taken the

wrong way and lengthy flame wars would

ensue

Scott came up with the elegant solution

of a smiley face and it soon caught on

quickly and spread to other universities

we were being silly late at night we

were sending these things around

messages and I proposed this thing and I

thought it was just another silly

message that I sent you know I didn't

keep a copy of it and I noticed about a

week later that people were starting to

use it around Carnegie Mellon a couple

of weeks later that we got a message

back from some colleagues on the west

coast of the US and they were using it

to now and they were starting to make

these long lists you know of many

different emoticons

I only claimed responsibility for the

the colon - and the parentheses a smiley

face in the frowny face with the nose so

some of you would not be satisfied with

that definition of me so let's take a

look at the first meme that is

recognizable as a meme today this meme

is simply known as the dancing baby

it was first set loose on the 22nd of

October 1996 the dancing baby originated

as a collection of experimental testing

data files on a product sample for then

groundbreaking 3d character animation

software the software was called

character studio this baby was the first

truly viral meme as we know it today it

found its way onto hit shows of the time

like

bill and 3rd Rock from the Sun and even

the Simpsons and many of you who are old

enough will still immediately recognize

it today so there you go

so that is literally how many aspects of

the internet that you're used to seeing

and using every day started out but

there's a bit of a somber tone to the

end of this video as many of you may or

may not know the Internet as we know

will be coming to an end in early 2019

this is thanks to the European Union

originally an organization which was

meant to facilitate free trade and free

travel within Europe but slowly grew out

of control when no one seemed to notice

now the organization is so powerful that

these unelected leaders has decided to

write their own laws that will result in

the backbone of the internet hyperlinks

actually being taxed and copyright law

is so strict that all websites including

YouTube social media or any website at

all that just allows users to post will

be forced not to allow user content and

only allow content from trusted parties

to avoid liability under these new

regulations the result will most likely

be the only big companies will be

allowed to post content because they own

the rights and the website hosts can

trust them and everybody else gets left

out this proposal is known as article 13

on freedom of expression raised by

experts ranging from the UN Special

Rapporteur David Kaye to the inventor of

the World Wide Web Sir Tim berners-lee

and the real concerns voiced by our

citizens just yesterday I received a

petition signed by almost a million

people against the Judy committee

mandate huge controversy still exists

about the methods proposed something's

not right here if you want to know more

about it I'll leave some links below we

can explore more and see what you can do

to save the Internet sorry at the end on

that note but at least we can be

grateful for the internet that we have

now and hopefully we can do something

about article 13 anyway thanks for

watching this has been - go go if you

just stumbled across this channel feel

free to subscribe and

same for the next week cheers guys

[Music]

[Applause]

Oh

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