On this day in 1982 we got the first recorded and well-known use of emoticons. In a posting on the Carnegie Mellon University bulletin board, Professor Scott Fahlman proposed the first-ever use of emoticons, also known as smileys. In his original post the professor proposed that the smiley be used to indicate jokes, while the sad face be used to indicate the opposite.
The original message containing the first established use of emoticons – Image taken from Business Insider
The humble emoticons added much-needed emotion in text messages, which could often be misunderstood due to the lack of expressions, gesticulations and tone of voice present in other forms of communication.
Today, emoticons are used billions of times a day alongside their more picturesque versions, the emoji.