National Email Week is celebrated every year in the second week of June. This year, it will take place from June 10 to 16. We know we’re not exaggerating when we say that emails have changed the world. They have touched the lives of nearly every person on this planet and all for the better. Emails are now the preferred way of communicating and they can also be the easiest, most low-cost, and most effective way of communicating. We’re not quite sure what our lives would look like without emails and frankly, we don’t want to live in a world without them!
History of National Email Week
Emails came into the picture soon after the internet was invented, or maybe even slightly before that. The first example of what can be called an email can be found on the computers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in a program called MAILBOX, back in 1965. People using MIT computers could leave messages with this program on computers at the university for others, who would see the messages once they are logged on to the computer. Then came the U.S. Department of Defense, which implemented the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) in 1969, which was a network connecting many computers across the department for communication within the organization.
But it was in 1971 that Ray Tomlinson invented and developed the electronic mail we know and love today, by creating ARPANET’s networked email system. He was the genius behind coming up with the @ symbol, which may now be his most enduring contribution to the internet. Typing in the destination for an email became as simple as addressing it: username@name of computer, which is pretty much how emails have been addressed ever since.
By the 1980s, internet service providers had begun connecting people across the world, and email hosting sites began popping up to get in on the action. By 1993, the bulky term electronic mail was replaced by email, and internet use had become more common.
Over the next few years, America Online (AOL), Echomail, Hotmail, and Yahoo shaped the internet and the email landscape by reaching a wide audience. In the late 1990s internet use exploded with nearly 400 million users by 1999. Today, we’ve come a long way from emails being considered a novelty, to now becoming a necessity.
National Email Week timeline
The earliest version of what would become an email is invented at MIT.
On October 29, the first message is sent from one computer to another on ARPANET.
American computer programmer Tomlinson comes up with the @ symbol to send emails to different computers effectively.
Queen Elizabeth II sends an email on ARPANET and becomes the first head of state to do so.
The first version of Microsoft Mail is released for Mac OS, which allows AppleTalk Networks users to send messages to each other.
CompuServe starts an internet-based email service by offering internet connectivity through dial-up phone connections.
Microsoft Outlook’s first version is released while, at the same time, U.S. internet service provider AOL connects its email system.
Hotmail, developed by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith, is launched, followed by Yahoo Mail a year later.
Although a late entrant, Gmail begins life as an internal mail system for Google employees.
National Email Week FAQs
What are some popular email providers?
Some of the top free email providers are Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, Zoho, Mail.Com, and ProtonMail. ProtonMail, CounterMail, Hushmail, and Tutanota may be more secure than the others. Some webmail clients, which provide paid services, are Zoho, Gmail, Hushmail, and ProtonMail.
How do I make my email secure?
This depends on which email service you’re using. If you’re using a common service like Outlook: click ‘File’ and then ‘Properties’ in the message that you are composing. Click ‘Security Settings’ and select the ‘Encrypt message contents and attachments’ check box. Write your message and then hit send.
How can you tell if your email has been hacked?
The most obvious sign of your email account being hacked is the fact that you can’t sign into it. Hackers often change the password after getting access to it, so if your email password is rejected as incorrect and it wasn’t you who changed it, there’s a strong chance that it has been hacked.
National Email Week Activities
Send an email
Send an email to your friends and family letting them know it’s National Email Week! What could be a better way to celebrate the best form of communication there is than using it?
Organize your mailbox
Sift through the thousands of unread emails, spam, and subscriptions you have to clear out your mailbox. This will help you prioritize work and help you professionally as well as personally.
Set up email accounts for others
Help set up emails for the elders in your family who may not have much experience with it. Emails are an indispensable part of our lives and having your account could significantly improve their lives!
5 Facts About Emails That Will Blow Your Mind
“You’ve Got Mail”
Emails also became popular thanks to the 1998 Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie, “You’ve Got Mail.”
The time spent checking emails
People on average spend 5.4 hours per day checking their emails.
Emails can be stressful
People who reduce the number of times they check their emails are significantly less stressed, according to research.
Bill Clinton didn’t send too many
Clinton claims to have only sent two emails as president.
Emojis for the win
Mail marketers have found that using emojis in their subject lines increases open rates.
Why We Love National Email Week
They’re fast
You’ve got something to say? Send out a mass email to as many people as you want at the speed of lightning. Your message can reach around the world in a matter of seconds. It truly is magic.
You can send them from anywhere
Emails are great because you can send them while you’re cooking up a mean lasagna or walking your dog in the park or are on holiday and no one will ever know. Hey, you’re not slacking off, you’re just being effective!
They’re cheap
Sending an email as an individual is practically free if you’ve already got access to the internet. Compare this to the good old days where important documentation would have to be printed out and sent across the world — all while hoping the post office doesn’t lose it!
National Email Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | June 13 | Monday |
| 2023 | June 12 | Monday |
| 2024 | June 10 | Monday |
| 2025 | June 9 | Monday |
| 2026 | June 8 | Monday |
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