Pointless questions you just have to know the answer to

[Siniri]

Wikipedia said that a guy named Scott Fahlman sent the first one, : ) in a marriage proposal. on september 19, 1982.

I'm not questioning you, but I just wonder how that's even verifiable.

Because back in 1982, the "internet" was very, very small -- some would say non-existent -- and so it would be more easily verifiable. I remember we got our first computer when I was 4 (so probably 1983), and within a few years my dad had a modem and used Prodigy to communicate with others -- but it made 56k dial-up look light-years faster than the best broadband you can get today.