CompuServe's CB Simulator, launched in 1980, was the first big taste of real-time public chat online — modeled after citizens-band radio.

1980

Built by CompuServe engineer Alexander 'Sandy' Trevor, it organized conversation into 40 numbered 'channels,' complete with CB-radio-style commands like 'tune' and 'monitor,' since almost nobody in 1980 understood the idea of live text chat but plenty of people understood CB radio. It became CompuServe's single most popular feature almost by accident, with no real marketing behind it.