Email turns 40: five key moments in the history of electronic mail

It's been 40 years since the first email was sent. We celebrate momentous moment in the history of communication with five key moments in its history.

1971 Computer Engineer Ray Tomlinson is the first to send an 'electronic message'. Sadly the content of the email has been lost. Not that it was necessarily that sparkling - Ray Tomlinson was a computer engineer, after all.

Like many of the emails that would follow it, it was read, ignored and deleted.

1976 Queen Elizabeth II became the first Head of State to send an email. Something along the lines of "Philip! WTF? OMG, I can't believe you said that! LOL".

She had no idea that she'd sent an email, however, as the term 'email' hadn't been coined yet.

1982 The term 'email' is coined. The same year, Scott Fahlman stares at the : and the ) on his keyboard and creates the first 'emoticon' - a smiley face. Nice and positive :)

1997 Microsoft Outlook is released, created as the perfect way to manage your emails, your calendar and your contacts. Bill Gates' computer software giants also buy Hotmail for an estimated figure of $400 million.

In Hollywood, meanwhile, Warner Bros are busy making the email-based film You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. The film will go on to make more than $250 million for the company.

2003 In an episode of The Simpsons Homer Simpson reveals his email address to be chunkylover53@aol.com