The Internet has become an essential part of our everyday lives, and web domains play a crucial role in this digital world. Although we use the internet every day, there are many fascinating things you probably don’t know about websites and the history of the internet. Let’s explore some of the most interesting facts about this virtual universe!
1. First Web Domain in History
The first ever registered web domain is “symbolics[.]com”, which was reserved on March 15, 1985. It belonged to a computer company called Symbolics Inc. and, surprisingly, is still active. Today, symbolics.com is considered a digital “relic” and is a symbol of the beginnings of the internet as we know it today.
2. The Internet in its Early Days: Only 1000 websites
Today there are over 1.1 billion active websites, but in the early days of the internet, things were much more limited. In 1992, there were only about 1,000 websites and very few users who had access to them. The early sites were simple, text-based sites used mainly to distribute scientific and academic information.
3. Unusual and Creative Domain Extensions
If you thought that only .com, .net or .org were options for domain names, you were wrong! Nowadays, there are hundreds of new and creative extensions like .pizza, .guru, .ninja, .blog or even .xyz. These extensions are used by companies and individuals who want to be unique and attract attention with memorable and innovative names.
4. .com Extension: The Global Standard for Online Presence
The .com domain is the most widely recognized and used top-level domain (TLD) worldwide. Originally introduced in 1985 for commercial entities, .com has become the go-to choice for businesses, organizations, and individuals looking to establish a credible and professional online presence. With its global appeal and trustworthiness, a .com domain is the perfect foundation for any successful website.
5. Short but memorable: Top two-character domains
Web domains with just two characters are extremely rare and valuable. For example, domains such as “aa[.]com” (belonging to American Airlines) or “hp[.]com” (Hewlett-Packard) are considered internet gems. Because of this rarity, their prices can reach fabulous sums if they are ever put up for sale.
6. Record prices for web domains
In the world of online commerce, valuable domains often sell for impressive sums. For example, “business[.]com” sold in 2007 for $345 million, and “voice[.]com” was bought for $30 million in 2019. Having a short, relevant and memorable domain name can make a huge difference to business, especially in today’s competitive digital environment.
7. Domains can expire: Pay attention to the renewal rate!
Many domain owners forget to renew their domain name, which can lead to domain loss. Expired domains are often hunted by brokers or specialized companies, which can buy them as soon as they become available. If a forgotten domain has a high value, it can be resold for substantial sums.
8. Who owns the internet?
A common question is whether there is an “owner” of the Internet. In reality, nobody owns the internet. It is a global network of interconnected servers, and different parts of this network are managed by governments, organizations and companies. But institutions such as ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) manage domain names and IP addresses to ensure the orderly functioning of the internet.
9. Ghost sites and the Dark Web
Not all websites are visible through regular search engines like Google or Bing. There’s a whole part of the internet known as the “deep web” and the “dark web”, where access is only possible through special software. These areas of the internet hide much of online content, from private databases to anonymous websites.
10. The Cyber Squatting Phenomenon
Cyber-squatting is the practice of registering domain names that include trademarks or popular names in order to resell them later for a profit. This practice has become a major problem as the internet has grown and many companies have had to fight in court to get their domain names back.
The Internet is a vast place full of surprises, and domain names are only a small part of this complex story. To register your own domain, you can turn to trusted services such as https://iphost.online/, where you have a wide range of options and dedicated support to buy domains that suit your business or personal project.
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