The first internet address is still here – and you can even try it

The first commercial internet address, Symbolics.com, was registered on March 15, 1985, and is still active. The domain was registered by Symbolics, a company from MIT's AI lab, years before the invention of the web. Today the site serves as a living digital museum.

The world's first commercial internet address, Symbolics.com, was registered on March 15, 1985, and is still active. The domain was registered by Symbolics, a company that grew out of MIT's artificial intelligence lab and specialized in Lisp programming language workstations. The address was registered years before the invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee. Today the site serves as a digital museum featuring articles on internet history, domain trivia, and AI tools. In 2009 the domain was acquired by investor Aaron Meistadt through XF.com Investments for an undisclosed sum. WHOIS records confirm that ownership has been continuously renewed through 2027.