History of email

Email is referred to as one of the most widely used forms of communication besides talk and text over a phone. Email was created around the same time as the emergence of the internet and at its earliest form was known as a simple file directory named MAILBOX by MIT in 1965. This early system used a mainframe style network which used what was called "dumb terminals" located at work spaces through large buildings. These mainframes were not connected to he internet so they could only communicate within the primitive LAN (Local Area Network). It was not until 1975 that John Vittal developed software to organize email within the ARPANET. As the internet matured web browsing platforms and protocols such as Gmail and Outllook suites were created which made managing email easier.
Below is an image of the early day terminals used with MAILBOX courtesy of "DEC VT100 terminal" by Jason Scott - Flickr: IMG_9976. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DEC_VT100_terminal.jpg#/media/File:DEC_VT100_terminal.jpg
Additional information can be found here http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/email.html