Did you know that 51.8% of the world’s internet users live in Asia? 14.8% of internet users live in Europe while only 6.8% live in North America.
As of June 2020, the North American continent had an estimated population of 368,869,647, or 4.7% of the world population. 281,204,100 of those people are active Facebook users.
The highest number of internet users is in the United States rounding out to 297,322,868 people as of October 2020. In Canada, the number of internet users during that time frame rounded out to 35,477,625.
There are many things about the internet or facts about technology you’d probably like to know more about. Keep reading to learn more.
1. The Origin of the Qwerty Keyboard
You might consider yourself a fast typer, even be proud of your typing speed. Did you know, however, that the Qwerty keyboard that’s most commonly used today was created to slow down typing speeds?
Users of the less common Dvorak Simplified Keyboard will tell you that that keyboard allows for a much faster typing pace. At a time when most professional typing happened on a typewriter, these machines would jam if a user typed too quickly.
Qwerty was created to correct this issue and even with the shift to computers, the keyboard is still used around the world.
2. You Can Still Find the First Picture Posted on the Internet
There are many tech facts you might not know. As you’ve heard time and time again, everything you post on the internet will remain there forever.
With Instagram being such a big part of life, millions of photos circulate the web each day. Did you know that you can easily find the first photo posted on the internet though?
A picture of the girl group Les Horribles Cernettes, made up of scientists who worked for the European Organization for Nuclear Research, was the first photo uploaded to the web in 1992.
3. Did You Know That Email Was Created Before the Internet?
It might be strange to think about this fact but email was created long before the internet. Today you simply type out your email and press send from your phone or tablet and it’s sent to an email address anywhere in the world within seconds.
Email messaging was created some 20 years before the creation of the first web page. The process was different back then too. A computer and rotary phone was necessary to allow the message to send.
4. Bots Run Wikipedia
Next on our list of tech fun facts is that bots run Wikipedia. This popular online encyclopedia has continued to grow with information on a variety of topics thanks to the volunteers who add and edit that information.
While this is common knowledge you might not know that thousands of bots help create new pages of information. These bots also help with correcting spelling errors and help to revert false information on pages that were purposely altered.
5. You Can Visit the First Internet Page Today
It might seem strange to think about life without the internet, it’s such a big part of everyday life. The internet hasn’t been around for that long though.
The first internet page launched in 1991, this was only 30 years ago! This page was created to give information about what the internet was created to do.
This web page was launched on the NeXT computer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research. You can still visit the page today. Its simplicity shows how far the internet and technology have evolved in the last 30 years.
6. The Majority of Internet Traffic Is Made up of Hackers and Bots
Nowadays, there are millions of websites and information available on the internet. It’d be impossible to reach every corner of the world wide web.
Did you know that most of the traffic on the internet comes from bots and hackers? These hackers attempt to steal data and corrupt websites daily. This is why it’s important to stay vigilant online.
7. Most Money Is Now Digital
Next on the list of interesting tech facts is that the majority of currency exists on computers. This doesn’t necessarily include bitcoin but the fact that most people make transactions using credit or debit cards.
If you think about the last time you paid for something with cash then you’ll understand why this statement is true. Most people get paid through direct deposits, buy goods online, and pay for things in person with a bank card. Only a small percentage of the world still uses paper money each day.
8. Did You Know That Apple Had Their Own Clothing Line?
Apple has always been a leader in innovation. They have revolutionized technology with their computers and phones. They continue to break ground with the technology they produce each year.
Something many people don’t know, however, is that Apple launched a clothing line in 1986 called The Apple Collection. This collection featured t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats with different designs of the Apple logo.
The collection also had other merchandise branded with the Apple logo including coolers, water bottles, and umbrellas. Apple even created a watch, although it was lightyears away from the Apple watches of today.
9. The Internet Runs Deeper Than You Might Think
Next on the list of interesting facts about technology is something you’d have a hard time imagining. While it’s already hard to picture combing through the millions of websites that come up on search sites, that is only the tip of the iceberg.
It’s hard to believe but the internet goes beyond this surface that’s visible to you when you go online. It’s estimated that what’s online is 400 times the size of what you see.
10. You Blink Less Frequently When Looking at a Screen
Ever wonder why your eyes get so tired and dry after working in front of a computer all day long? It turns out that most people blink less frequently while looking at a screen.
A typical human being will blink about 20 times in a minute. While working in front of a computer screen, however, you’ll only blink 7 times in a minute.
11. Owning a Website Use to Be Free
Creating and owning your own website is a lot of work. Working to understand the technology is part of it but you also have to spend some money putting it together.
Buying a domain, becoming the exclusive owner of a URL, can cost you. While prices have gone down in recent years, there was a time when you’d have to shell out $100 every year to remain the owner of the domain.
Did you know that registering a domain name was free until 1995? Long gone are the days of owning a website for free though.
12. Amazon Began With a Different Name
Amazon made headlines when it became a trillion-dollar company this year. This tech giant is a leader in online commerce, streaming, and AI with Amazon Alexa.
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know about Amazon. What most people don’t know, however, is that CEO Jeff Bezos went through a long list of names for his website in its infancy.
Browse.com and bookmall.com were some of the early names of what started as an online bookseller.
13. 3D Printing Has Been Around Longer Than You Think
There is so much to learn about technology as it continues to evolve and grow. Something that seems to be a recent phenomenon is 3D printing.
It might surprise you to know that this technology has been around since the early 1980s. Although the technology received a patent in 1986, 3D printers were not available for sale until 2009.
It’s only in recent years that 3D printing has made its way into all kinds of sectors. Most astounding in the medical community, where scientists were able to 3D print a human heart in 2019.
14. Nintendo Started in the Playing Card Business
Every video game enthusiast knows the name Nintendo. This company is renowned for the video games it creates. Millions of people around the world have played Nintendo games.
A fact that you might not know is that Nintendo began as a playing card company in 1889. In the 1960s it began making toys and in the 1970s it ventured into creating the video games people love to this day.
If you want honest reviews about new Nintendo games or other video games, make sure to check out what they have to say at TrustGeeky.
15. HP Could’ve Had a Different Name
The popular computer hardware and IT company is known as Hewlett-Packard or HP was a coin flip away from having a different name. Bill Hewlett and David Packard created the company in 1939 and used a coin to determine whose name would come first.
Facts About Technology You Should Know
There are many facts about technology that you probably didn’t know before today.
These fun facts show how far technology has advanced and give a picture of what the future holds. Make sure you check out some of the other tech blogs on our website.
