About.com was launched. The American internet-based network of content publishes articles and videos about various subjects on its "topic sites".
When it was first founded in 1996, it went with the name 'The Mining Company' (miningco.com). , the site was launched on April 21, 1997 by Scott Kurnit from General Internet, Bill Day, and a group of other entrepreneurs in New York City.
It changed its name from The Mining Company to About, Inc. in May 1999. It was later acquired by Primedia, Inc. in 2000 through a deal valued at $690 million. At the time of the acquisition announcement, About Inc. was successful, measuring at $133 million in cash with no debt. It was also the seventh-most-visited "network of sites" at the time with about approximately 4,000 advertisers.
Its original goal was to maintain 1,800 topic areas, but after five years of operation, the number was reduced to around 700 (sorted into 36 areas and 50,000 subjects).
About.com competed with other online resource sites and encyclopedias.