"On September 19, 1982, Carnegie Mellon University computer science research assistant professor Scott Fahlman posted a message to the university's bulletin board software that would later come to shape how people communicate online. His proposal: use :-) and :-( as markers to distinguish jokes from serious comments. While Fahlman describes himself as "the inventor ... or at least one of the inventors" of what would later be called the smiley face emoticon, the full story reveals something more interesting than a lone genius moment."
"That evening, computer scientist Howard Gayle responded with a facetious message titled "WARNING!" He claimed that an elevator had been "contaminated with mercury" and suffered "some slight fire damage" due to a physics experiment. Despite clarifying posts noting the warning was a joke, some people took it seriously. The incident sparked immediate discussion about how to prevent such misunderstandings and the "flame wars" (heated arguments) that could result from misread intent."
Scott Fahlman posted a message on September 19, 1982 proposing the use of :-) and :-( to mark jokes and serious comments. Neil Swartz had earlier posed a physics problem on Carnegie Mellon's bboard about a lit candle and a drop of mercury in a free-falling elevator. Howard Gayle replied with a facetious "WARNING!" claiming mercury contamination and slight fire damage; some readers interpreted it seriously despite clarifications. The misunderstanding prompted immediate discussion about preventing misread intent and flame wars in text-only communication. Fahlman described himself as "the inventor ... or at least one of the inventors" of the smiley face emoticon.
Read at WIRED
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