Single-Letter Second-Level Domain Names

Wikipedia:

Single-letter second-level domains are domains in which the second-level domain of the domain name consists of only one letter, such as X.com. In 1993, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) explicitly reserved all single-letter and single-digit second-level domains under the top-level domains com, net, and org, and grandfathered those that had already been assigned. In December 2005, ICANN considered auctioning these domain names.

On December 1, 1993, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) explicitly reserved the remaining single-letter and single-digit domain names. The few domains that were already assigned were grandfathered in and continued to exist.

Fascinating bit of domain name trivia. Among the six single-character com/net/org domains in use is X.org, the home of the open source X Window System. My favorite, though, is obviously Q.net. (Via Manton Reece.)

★ Monday, 24 July 2023