It was AOL that really turned me on to the Internet. Was it really so long ago that I bought a floppy disc with AOL on it for $25 (before they started sending them out like crazy)? Here’s a report from Washington Business Journal about this landmark:

>>Steve Case and Jim Kimsey returned to the Dulles campus of the online company they co-founded in 1985 to mark AOL Inc.’s 25th anniversary.

Ted Leonsis, AOL’s vice chairman emeritus, was also there, as was current CEO Tim Armstrong and about 2,000 other AOL employees and alumni.

Among events at Monday’s anniversary party was the dedication of three buildings on the AOL campus in the names of Case, Kimsey and Leonsis.

“It’s an honor to be back at AOL and witness first-hand the abiding commitment to the company’s core mission and founding values,” Case said. “AOL’s staying power is a powerful testament to its everyday relevance in American lives.”

While AOL has had its ups and downs since slipping from its dominance in the dial-up Internet days, including layoffs,headquarters move from Dulles to New York and a spinoff from its once parent company Time Warner Inc., the company pointed out primarily its ups on Monday, including:

1985: AOL is born (then called Quantum Computer Services)

1989: Members hear “Welcome! You’ve got mail!” for the first time

1991: Quantum is renamed America Online Inc.

1992: AOL goes public on NASDAQ (symbol AMER)

1993: AOL surpasses 500,000 members

1993: Disk mailings make AOL a household name

1994: First advertisers appear on AOL

1995: AOL reaches 1 million members, AOL.com is launched

1995: AOL Germany is launched as AOL’s first international venture

1996: AOL moves to the NYSE under the symbol “AOL” and reaches 5 million members

1996: Running Man debuts on Instant Messenger

1996: AOL Canada, U.K. and France launch

1998: AOL acquires CompuServe

1998: The movie “You’ve Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan is released

1998: AOL’s Buddy List Network enters the Smithsonian’s permanent collection

1999: AOL acquires Netscape and Moviefone

2000: AOL acquires MapQuest

2001: AOL and Time Warner merge

2002: Five million members download AOL 8.0 software in two weeks

2003: AOL blocks 2 billion spam e-mail messages in one day

2004: AOL acquires Advertising.com

2005: AOL become the first Internet company to win an Emmy for online programming with its coverage of the global Live8 concerts

2005: Revitalized AOL.com launches, providing Web users free access to much of AOL’s content<<

Here’s an AP video about AOL’s big day:

Did you like this? Share it:

« »