When did Gmail launch and how did it change email?

Gmail launched on April 1st 2004 and it changed email forever. It offered 1 GB of free storage at a time when most providers were offering only a few megabytes. The date made many people think it was an April Fools joke because the offer seemed impossible.

Gmail introduced threaded conversations and search based inbox management so users no longer had to file everything into folders. It started the storage wars and pushed the whole industry toward cloud based always available email.