ICANN was created by the late Jon Postel in the fall of 1998 in response to a policy statement issued by the US Department of Commerce. This statement called for the formation of a private sector not-for-profit Internet stakeholder to administer policy for the Internet name and address system.

Thus far ICANN has taken various measures to oversee the domain-name registration system's transition from government hands to private hands and to coordinate its decentralization and the integration into a global community.

ICANN's diverse board consists of nineteen Directors, nine At-Large Directors, who serve one-year terms and will be succeeded by At-Large Directors elected by an at-large membership organization. None of the present interim directors may sit on the board once the permanent members are selected.

ICANN Home Page 
Excellent resource containing an organizational overview, FAQs, events, committees, supporting organizations, related links, and news items.

ICANN Proposal
Contains links to articles of incorporation, bylaws, and biographies of initial Board of Directors.

ICANNWatch
Presents issues, news, and ICANN's actions regarding the Domain Name System.

Domain.com
Domain name registration, Web hosting, e-mail services, domain search, and SEO services.