In 1994, the Internet was still a strange new world of blue hyperlinks and dial-up screeches. But Jeff Bezos, staring at his hedge fund computer screen on Wall Street, saw something others missed: web usage was growing at 2,300% per year. His boss gave him 48 hours to think it over. Bezos chose the Internet—and selected books as his way in.
In that Bellevue garage, Bezos and his small team built a website using borrowed computers on doors converted into desks. The site design was bare-bones: white background, blue text, basic search box. There was no shopping cart—customers had to email their orders. The company name "Amazon" came from the world's biggest river, chosen partly because website listings were alphabetical. Bezos registered a hundred domain names before settling on amazon.com.
On April 3, 1995, John Wainwright, a computer engineer in California, was browsing the new site when he spotted a book he'd been hunting for: "Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought." Price: $27.95. He clicked order, typed his details into a basic form, and made history—the first book ever sold on Amazon. Wainwright still has the book, and his customer number remains active: 000000001.
The site officially launched in July. That first month, Amazon shipped books to all 50 states and 45 countries. Bezos and his team packed orders on their hands and knees on the garage floor. When a bell rang with each sale, they would all gather around to see if they knew the customer. Soon, the bell rang so often they had to turn it off.
Before Amazon, people laughed at the idea of typing their credit card numbers into a website. After Amazon, they clicked 'buy' without thinking twice.
Here are some sources for a Deeper Dive:
Credible Sources for Deeper Internet History Research
1. A Brief History of the Internet
Internet Society (Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, et al.) – internetociety.org
The definitive account by the internet's actual creators, covering ARPANET through TCP/IP development with technical accuracy and historical authority.
2. The Birth of the Web
CERN – home.cern.ch/science/computing/birth-web
Official documentation from where Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web, including original proposals, timeline, and the first website preserved at info.cern.ch.
3. Internet History Program
Computer History Museum – computerhistory.org/internet-history
Comprehensive collection of artifacts, oral histories, and expert analysis documenting the internet's evolution from 1960s to present.
4. Timeline of U.S. Stock Market Crashes
Investopedia – investopedia.com/timeline-of-stock-market-crashes
Detailed analysis of the dotcom bubble and 2000 NASDAQ crash with verified dates, statistics, and economic context.
5. Social Media Use in 2021
Pew Research Center – pewresearch.org/internet
Rigorous demographic data tracking social media adoption from 2005-2024, essential for understanding platform growth and user behavior.
6. History of Facebook (Timeline)
Wikipedia – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Facebook
Well-sourced chronology of Facebook's development from Harvard dorm room to global platform, with extensive citations.
7. The First 50 Years of Living Online: ARPANET and Internet
Computer History Museum Blog – computerhistory.org/blog
Expert commentary on the October 29, 1969 first ARPANET message and subsequent network development milestones.
8. Cybersecurity Framework
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – nist.gov/cybersecurity
Government standards documenting internet security evolution, privacy concerns, and policy responses to digital threats.
9. Internet Governance Forum
United Nations – intgovforum.org
Current debates on AI ethics, digital rights, and international internet governance from global policy perspective.
10. Dot-Com Bubble
Smithsonian National Museum of American History – americanhistory.si.edu
Historical context placing internet boom and bust within broader American technological and economic development
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