The domain name Symbolics.com was the first .com to be registered, on March 15, 1985. It was also the first domain to be registered by application, as opposed to by allocation; NORDU.net takes that crown.
Symbolics.com turned 37 today and on the date of its registration, Mikhail Gorbachev had been president of the Soviet Union for a mere 4 days. It was a transitional time for the USSR, moving onto a period of perestroika and glasnost.
At the time Symbolics.com was registered, there was no ccTLD allocation for the Soviet Union. That happened on September 19, 1990, giving the USSR the ccTLD .su for a mere 15 months. Dot .su domains are still active, however.
It’s mind-boggling to witness that while the internet technology has boomed, we’ve come full cycle politically since 1985, with Russia attempting to become a military aggressor in Europe by invading Ukraine and aspiring to expand to its USSR size.
If you visit Symbolics.com today to wish Aron Maystedt “happy birthday” for his precious domain name, also visit Gorby.ru, the official web site of the Mikhail Gorbachev foundation.
