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The very first emoticon is said to have appeared in 1862, in the transcript of a speech by Abraham Lincoln.

But its digital birth is typically dated to September 19, 1982. That’s when computer scientist Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon was writing on an electronic university bulletin board and wanted to make a joke about a lift on campus. And just in case anyone mistook his joke for a safety warning, he ended his post with a :-) and suggested that his colleagues do the same — and of course also using :-( as a sign of seriousness.