When the internet went live in 1991, email was primarily used by universities or for corporate communications. The general public saw it as a novelty and still too expensive for everyday use. On July 4, 1996, Hotmail launched the first free web-based email service.

Was there email in the 80s?

LAN email systems

In the early 1980s, networked personal computers on LANs became increasingly important. Server-based systems similar to the earlier mainframe systems were developed. Examples include: cc:Mail.

Did they have email in the 90s?

This is the decade where it all started! And make no mistake, it was a big decade for email. ... In fact, in 1998 it was reported that for the first time more electronic mails were sent than regular (snail) mail.