The document provides an overview of email (electronic mail) including its history, how it works, and why it is used. Some key points: - Email allows users to transmit text, photos, audio and video files between computers over the internet. It originated in the 1960s-1970s for messaging within companies before the internet. - As computer networks expanded, email became a way for employees around the world to communicate. The rise of the internet in the 1990s popularized email for personal and business use. - To send an email, users specify the recipient's address which includes a username, domain name, and country code separated by symbols. Emails also contain identifying headers and footers.