The Emoticon Turns 30
:-)
One of the most divisive communication tools celebrates a milestone birthday this month when the emoticon turns 30.
On September 19 1982 Professor Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh sent an email that included the first use of the sideways smiley face.
"I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: 🙂 Read it sideways."
The aim, according to Professor Fahlman, was to differentiate between those emails that were meant to be humorous and those that were not meant to be.
