ICQ launched in 1996 from Israeli company Mirabilis and became the first widely used instant messenger, with its flower icon and numbered UINs. Its incoming message alert, a short uh-oh chime, was heard in homes, schools and internet cafes worldwide as the service grew to tens of millions of users before AOL acquired Mirabilis in 1998. Long after ICQ faded against newer apps, the sound survived in meme edits, nostalgia compilations and soundboards as a universal symbol of an early online message arriving.