Let us not forget: Before there was any of this digital wallet wizardry like Apple Pay, Venmo, or Paypal, simple banking transactions and checking of account balances after a night on the town required a trip to your brick-and-mortar financial establishment… But hey, at least they threw in a lollipop for good measure.

Which U.S. bank was first on the scene to offer customers online account access? That’d be Presidential Bank. And two years later, in 1997, they also became one of the earliest banks to offer online account statements and real-time banking services.

Now some 62 percent of banking customers conduct their business online, or on their mobile devices, while the traditional bank branch is used by just 32 percent of its customers. So how did all of this come to be?

Well, as computers became faster and less expensive (though still quite clunky) in the 70s, banking services became more automated. Tellers were then capable of accessing account information in real-time and could provide customers with more tailored service.

The use of personal computers gave rise to home banking in the 80s, allowing customers to check balances and perform basic banking services from the comfort of their floral wallpapered homes. But “online” was singing a bit of a different tune at the time. Referring to the use of a terminal, keyboard and television (or computer monitor), accounts were accessed through a landline telephone, a far cry from mobile internet banking technology we enjoy today. Hello, mobile check deposits!

There were, of course, many milestones along the way. And sure, the adoption of online banking was a rather slow one, stalled by customers hesitant of the risks to security that online banking technology posed. But soon enough the advantages converted even the leeriest of customers (think 24/7 access, better rates, ease of use, mobility, etc.). Oh yeah, and a little thing called E-commerce may have had a hand in shaking things up, too.

Got an idea for an “Internet First?” Drop us a line in the comments!