Photo: Andreu Veà, WiWiW.org / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
I quietly thank Ray Tomlinson almost every day. Born in Amsterdam, New York in 1941, this computer scientist wrote the first email program on ARPANET in 1971, the first system that could send mail between users on different hosts. He also made the inspired choice to use the @ symbol to separate the user from the machine, a decision now woven into billions of addresses. What moves me is how unassuming the genius was: world-changing infrastructure born from a small, elegant fix. His Internet Hall of Fame induction was richly deserved, and he reminds me that the deepest impact often comes from the quietest engineers.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Raymond Tomlinson
- Name (Japanese)
- レイ・トムリンソン
- Reading
- れい・とむりんそん
- Born
- April 23, 1941 – March 5, 2016
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Snake
- Origin
- Amsterdam, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- programmer / inventor / patent inventor / computer scientist / designer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2009 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research
- 2011 Eduard-Rhein Cultural Award
- 2012 Internet Hall of Fame
- 2004 IEEE Internet Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | — | ||
| Notable work | TENEX | — | |
| Notable work | @ | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Raymond Tomlinson born?
April 23, 1941 – March 5, 2016.
Where is Raymond Tomlinson from?
Raymond Tomlinson is from Amsterdam, New York, United States.
What does Raymond Tomlinson do?
Raymond Tomlinson works as programmer, inventor, patent inventor, computer scientist, designer.
What is Raymond Tomlinson known for?
Notable works include email, TENEX, @.
Programmer — see all → · Inventor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-23
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.