Who was the first person to send an email?

Ray Tomlinson is recognized as the first person to send an email in 1971. He was pioneering an early form of networked messaging, which allowed users to send text messages between computers over the ARPANET. Tomlinson's innovation involved the use of the “@” symbol to separate the user’s name from the computer name in email addresses, a format that is still in use today. This landmark achievement was instrumental in the development of email as we know it, laying the foundation for modern digital communication. His work was significantly ahead of his time, facilitating the communication revolution that would follow in subsequent decades.