It was 20 years ago today that a British engineer named Neil Papworth sent the first ever text message. He sent it from his work computer to a friend's Orbitel 901 cell phone. It read "Merry Christmas." Papworth had no idea that short message service (SMS) technology would go on to dominate the mobile world, and all but replace phone calls.
Since 1992, messaging has evolved to include images, videos, audio, and even links to websites. We're at the point now where services such as iMessage and BlackBerry Messenger have come along with the promise of replacing text messaging and saving the mobile customer money in the process.
With the advent of full touchscreen phones, companies like Apple and Google have developed advanced predictive text software, colloquially known as auto-correct, so people could spend less time typing and more time enjoying their shiny new device. But auto-correct isn't always right. You've heard the stories and seen the websites with the countless hilarious horror stories of people's phones saying things other than what was meant to be said—or, as its known 'round these parts, fails. We collected 50 exceptionally funny examples. Enjoy.