What was ARPANET and its role in email?

ARPANET was the research network created by the U.S. Department of Defense's ARPA in the late 1960s. It became the first true digital ocean for data, connecting universities and government labs across long distances.

Email became the most popular application on ARPANET almost immediately, accounting for roughly 75% of all network traffic by the mid 1970s. Researchers used it not just for work but for the first online communities, like SF LOVERS, a mailing list for science fiction fans, proof that email was already becoming social.

It was the prototype for the internet's global shipping lanes, an experimental route that proved the concept of digital communication across open waters.