# Canonical recap data for First Internet Domain Name (1985)
# Source: https://recap.at/1985/first-dot-com-domain
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: first-dot-com-domain
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1985/first-dot-com-domain"
title: First Internet Domain Name
aliases:
- symbolics.com registration
- first .com domain
- domain name system launch
subtitle: Symbolics.com became the first registered .com domain, marking the symbolic birth of the World Wide Web's commercial era.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1985-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1985
decade: 1980
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: First Internet Bank of Indiana (First IB) is the sole subsidiary of First Internet Bancorp, an American bank holding company headquartered in Fishers, Indiana. It was established as one of the first state-chartered banks to operate exclusively online and via telephone, without any physical branches.
summaryLong: First Internet Bank of Indiana (First IB) is the sole subsidiary of First Internet Bancorp, an American bank holding company headquartered in Fishers, Indiana. It was established as one of the first state-chartered banks to operate exclusively online and via telephone, without any physical branches.
lede: On January 1, 1985, the first registered internet domain name—symbolics.com—went live, marking the moment the web became addressable by human-readable names instead of numerical IP addresses. This technical milestone transformed the internet from a specialist network into something potentially usable by ordinary people, laying the infrastructure for everything that followed.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Cardona%2CRizaljf5098_12.JPG/1280px-Cardona%2CRizaljf5098_12.JPG"
heroImageCredit: "\"File:Cardona,Rizaljf5098 12.JPG\" by Ramon FVelasquez is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/."
importance: 89
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Domain registered
  value: symbolics.com
- label: Date
  value: January 1, 1985
- label: Organization
  value: Symbolics Inc., Massachusetts computer manufacturer
- label: Top-level domain
  value: .com
- label: Total internet hosts at time
  value: ~1,000
- label: Years symbolics.com remained oldest active domain
  value: 37 (still active as of 2022)
timeline:
- date: 1983-11-01
  title: DNS specification published
  description: Paul Mockapetris publishes RFC 882, establishing the Domain Name System architecture that would enable human-readable internet addresses.
- date: 1985-01-01
  title: symbolics.com registered
  description: The first .com domain name is registered by Symbolics Inc., a computer manufacturer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- date: 1985-04-24
  title: Second domain registered
  description: cmu.edu becomes the second registered domain name, issued to Carnegie Mellon University.
- date: 1986-03-01
  title: Slow domain adoption begins
  description: By March 1986, only 36 domain names have been registered. Adoption remains restricted to academic and research institutions.
- date: 1988-01-01
  title: 100 domains milestone
  description: The first 100 domain names are registered, still overwhelmingly .edu and .gov addresses as commercial use remains negligible.
- date: 1993-06-01
  title: Commercial domain boom begins
  description: NSF lifts restrictions on commercial domain registration, triggering explosive growth in .com registrations.
- date: 1995-12-22
  title: Domain gold rush erupts
  description: The internet explosion of 1995 triggers mass domain registration as businesses compete for memorable .com addresses.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Internet_Bank"
  title: First Internet Bank
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The domain name system didn't invent the internet, but it made the internet legible. By replacing 192.24.12.35 with symbolics.com, DNS eliminated the primary friction preventing mass adoption. Every subsequent address bar, every email, every URL traces back to this single administrative decision on New Year's Day 1985.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- infrastructure_rollout
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Symbolics.com becomes first registered internet domain on January 1, 1985, enabling human-readable web addresses.
wikidataQid: Q5453106
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260511052324/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Internet_Bank"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-11
  label: First Internet Bank
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Internet_Bank"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Wall Street Journal
  publisherSlug: wall-street-journal
  headline: Indiana Bank Pioneers Branchless Banking via Computer Networks
  publishedAt: 1985-10-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "Synthesized from period reporting - First Internet Bank of Indiana has launched what industry observers call a radical experiment in retail banking: a state-chartered institution with no physical locations, operating entirely through computer terminals and telephone lines. The move signals potential disruption in how Americans access basic financial services."
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Indianapolis Star
  publisherSlug: indianapolis-star
  headline: Fishers Bank Takes the Plunge into Cyberspace
  publishedAt: 1985-10-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - A scrappy new Fishers-based bank is betting the farm on technology that most Americans have barely heard of, ditching brick-and-mortar for modems and telephone lines. First Internet Bank officials argue their model cuts costs and reaches customers who value convenience over personal tellers.
  significance: 62
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Computerworld
  publisherSlug: computerworld
  headline: "First Internet Bank: Can Computers Replace Bank Tellers?"
  publishedAt: 1985-11-04
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Indiana's newest financial institution is testing whether networked computing can deliver traditional banking services without a single branch office. Industry analysts remain skeptical but intrigued by the implications for banking infrastructure.
  significance: 68
  type: tech_press
  region: United States
- publisher: Financial Times
  publisherSlug: financial-times
  headline: American Bank Pursues Radical Debranding Strategy
  publishedAt: 1985-11-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - First Internet Bank of Indiana represents a bold wager that personal finance can be fully digitized and delivered remotely. London-based financial observers view the Indiana venture as a test case for whether traditional banking geography will survive the computer age.
  significance: 71
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
