Electronic Mail, most commonly referred to as email since 1993, is a method of exchanging digital messages from one author to one or more recipients.
The electronic mail or e-mail recently turned 32. Its inventor is VA Shiva Ayyadurai an Indian American scientist. At the tender age of seven he left with his family for the United States. In 1978, he developed a full-scale emulation of the inter-office mail system which he called the email.
Studying at Livingston High School in New Jersey, Ayyadurai began his work on the email system for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Based on his work, Ayyadurai won a Washington Science Talent search award for High School seniors in 1981.
The interface invented by Shiva had an Inbox, Outbox, Folders, Memo, Attachments, Address Book, etc. and these features are now familiar parts of every email system.
On August 30th, 1982 the United States Government officially recognized Shiva Ayyadurai as the inventor of email by awarding him the first United States copyright for email. Yet his name is nowhere in modern history of computer science. Whoever claims the invention, Shiva will remain the Father of email. Hope he gets the recognition he deserves.
