Apr, 2016 : 7 Strange Internet Facts You May Not Know

📅 April 5, 2016 - The internet has a rich and interesting history, but you may not know all the strange and odd facts about it today. It seems like it was forever ago when you heard the sound of dial-up internet connecting, just to get disconnected when somebody picked up the landline phone in your house.

We've come a very long way and dial-up internet is pretty much a thing of the past. However, even with the many advancements, there are still some very strange things about the internet. Here are some of the strangest internet facts you may not be familiar with.

The First Webcam

While it may not be a surprise that the first webcam was created at the University of Cambridge, the reason for it may be a bit shocking. The original grainy black and white stream was created to keep people from making a pointless trip to the coffee pot.

This was called the Trojan Room coffee pot. The webcam provided a 128×128 live greyscale picture of the coffee pot so those in the computer lab would know if it was full or empty.

Bots vs. Humans

You may think humans are responsible for most, if not all of the internet traffic. However, when you see the numbers, you may think the machines are taking over the world.

A study done in 2013 showed that only 40% of the traffic online comes from humans. The other 60% was shown as coming from internet bots.

Emoticons are Older than You

For everybody under the age of 30 (and a few a bit older), you may be surprised to know emoticons are older than you are. They didn't first come out a few years ago or when Facebook was created or even when smartphones became available. They didn't even first come out with the first AOL chat program.

The first usage of emoticons dates all the way back to 1982. Scott Fahlman, a computer scientists, first used the :-) and :-( to help others understand the difference between jokes and non-jokes on message boards.

You can't Escape Internet Access on Mount Everest

Did you know a telecommunications company named Ncell provides high speed internet on Mount Everest? This company released the first 3G internet access at the foot of Mount Everest and plans to add even more bases for the area. This will allow wireless internet for those climbing the mountain for at least part of the journey.

“Me at the Zoo”

When YouTube came about, the very first video uploaded was called, “Me at the Zoo.” It was uploaded by Jawed Karim, a co-founder of YouTube. The video was 18 seconds long and featured Karim standing by the elephant exhibit.

United States Internet is Slow

As usual, most Americans think things are better here than anywhere else. Did you know the United States doesn't have the fastest internet speeds in the world? Hong Kong, Romania, South Korea and Latvia all have faster internet speeds.

Wi-Fi Stands for…

You may automatically assume the term “Wi-Fi” stands for something because we all know it means you get access to wireless internet. However, it doesn't stand for anything. It was a simple name used for marketing purposes.

There are many odd and strange facts about the internet you may not know. These are just seven of the strangest.