The History of the Internet

Funds to Create ARPA

Jul 30, 1958

President Eisenhower requests funds to create ARPA. Approved as a line item in Air Force appropriations bill.

First Paper on Packet Switching

Jun 28, 1961

Len Kleinrock, Professor of Computer Science at UCLA, writes first paper on packet switching, "Information Flow in Large Communications Nets."

First paper on Internet Concept

Aug 13, 1962

J.C.R. Licklider & W. Clark write first paper on Internet Concept, "On-Line Man Computer Communications." Len Kleinrock writes Communication Nets, which describes design for packet switching network; used for ARPAnet

first paper on using message blocks to send info across a decentralized networktopology

Feb 6, 1964

Paul Baran writes, On Distributed Communications Networks, first paper on using message blocks to send info across a decentralized networktopology

First Network Experiment

Oct 19, 1965

First Network Experiment: Directed by Larry Roberts at MIT Lincoln Lab, two computers talked to each other using packet-switching technology.

ARPA Project Begins

Dec 8, 1966

ARPA project begins. Larry Roberts is chief scientist

ARPANet Contract given to Bolt, Beranek & Newman

Dec 30, 1968

ARPANet contract given to Bolt, Beranek & Newman (BBN) in Cambridge, Mass

First ARPANet node installed at UCLA Network Measurement Center

Sep 1, 1969

First ARPANet node installed at UCLA Network Measurement Center. Kleinrock hooked up the Interface Message Processor to a Sigma 7 Computer

Second Node Installed

Oct 1, 1969

Second node installed at Stanford Research Institute; connected to a SDS 940 computer. The first ARPANet message sent: "lo." Trying to spell log-in, but the system crashed!

First Packet Radio Network

Jul 19, 1970

Alohanet, first packet radio network, operational at University of Hawaii

First Basic Email Programs Written by Ray Tomlinson

Mar 13, 1972

First basic e-mail programs written by Ray Tomlinson at BBN for ARPANET: SNDMSG and READMAIL. "@" sign chosen for its "at" meaning.