-
AOL launches dial-up services
Probably the most recognizable online brand name in america. In the early 90's AOL was one of the pioneers in delivering online connections. Within a few short years AOL was in almost half of all American house holds. -
eBay is founded
Created by Pierre Omidyar and started with a couple of auctions for broken office equipment quickly grew into one of the largest online marketplaces. This also helped elevate services such as PayPal which has allowed figures such as Elon Musk to branch out into very ambitious directions such as space travel, clean energy and electric cars. -
Napster is founded
Today the idea of Napster is rather old fashion, but at the time when internet speeds weren't what they are today peer to peer file sharing was incredibly innovative. Taking off were IRC platforms such as mRIC never really took off, file sharing. This of course opened up the internet to one of its first major moral dilemmas which many ordinary people could relate to or at least would be able to have an opinion on. -
eBay buys quarter share of Criaglist
An ultra simple classifieds website with an even simpler business model attracts the attention of eBay. This is clearly a show of the endless possibilities the internet offers. You don't have to be a computer genius to create something amazing online, the essence of your idea carries much weight. -
Apple releases the iPhone
The birth of the modern smart phone. No more flipping or sliding. No longer were small multi-functional devices reserved for the nerds, calculator watches, nokia communicators, pocket calculators... the iPhone was going to change all of that. While there had been other smart phone contenders such as the previously mentioned communicator, RIM blackberry and Pantechs Ocean, the iPhone deployed with a responsive touch screen, dozens of internal sensors and for its time a powerful digital camera. -
Ross Ulbricht is arrested
Ross Ulbricht, a bright well educated man (BS Physics, Masters in Material Science) became deeply interested in libertarian economic theory, which lead to him founded the dark net site, the silk road, an anonymous marketplace which users could buy trade and sell illicit substances and services. Another legal grey area regarding the use of the internet and the fundamental question of whether we truly own ourselves.
