26 years ago today, a computer scientist from Carnegie-Mellon University changed the “face” of the web as we know it. In a message board post on September 19,1982, Scott Fahlman posted what was to become the first ever emoticon.
The post went a little something like this (courtesy of Wired.com):
19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman : -)
From: Scott E Fahlman
I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:
: -)
Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use:
So today, we salute you, Mr. Emoticon. Your ever-changing faces bring a touch of joy to all of our lives each and every day.
