History of the Internet

First Ever Computer Created

1822

Charles Babbage developed, conceived, and designed the computer. He was considered as the "father of the computer" since he invented the first mechanical computer in the early 19th century. He was an English mechanical engineer and polymath, and originated the concept of a programmable computer.

USSR launches Sputnik

1957

In 1957, USSR launches Sputnik, the first manmade and artificial earth satellite. Since people were not familiar with this technology, it created fear and anxiety among the people.Many feared that the USSR was capable of launching dangerous missiles and risk many people's lives. As a result, the government began investing in science and technology marking the "Potential Beginning of the Internet."

U.S. Government Creates DARPA/ARPA (Defense / Advanced Research Project Agency)

1958

The United States government created the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) later changed into ARPA in response to Sputnik launch. DARPA (later ARPA) is the innovative organization that funded the development of the ARPANET.

First Proposal of Global Network

1962

J.C.R Licklider of MIT was the very first to propose a global network of computers. Licklider writes memos about his Intergalactic Network concept of networked computers. He then moved to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)/ ARPA in late 1962 to lead and develop the work and became the first head of the computer research program at DARPA/ARPA.

Roberts' Plan for ARPANET

1966

Roberts moved to over to DARPA to start to develop his plan for ARPANET. Only 29 at the time, Roberts had already worked on another groundbreaking experiment in computer networks. In 1966, with his colleague Thomas Marrill, Roberts used the Western Union Telephone Line to link two super computers across the country (the Q–32 at the System Development Corporation in Santa Monica, California, and the TX–2 in Lexington, Massachusetts) soon resulting in creating ARPANET.

ARPAnet Design Begins

1967

Lawrence Roberts was the person who led ARPAnet's design, discussions, and publishes first ARPAnet design paper which was called: "Multiple Computer Networks and Intercomputer Communication." This design paper has led ARPANET to its creation and development.

IMP's Have Been Created

1968

In August 1968, after Roberts and the DARPA community had refined the overall structure and specifications for the ARPANET, an RFQ (Request for Quotation) was released by DARPA for the development of one of the key components. They were packet switches called Interface Message Processors (IMP's). The RFQ was won in December by a group headed by Frank Heart and Newman from the team called BBN.

ARPANET was brought online by ARPA

1969

The Internet, then known was ARPANET, was brought online in 1969 under a contract led by the renamed ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency. The purpose behind ARPANET was for researchers to communicate with others in order to share their information. The Network Control Protocol provided the connection and this invention marked the "birth of the internet."

Peter Kirstein Starts European ARPAnet

1970

Professor Peter Kirstein of University College London started the first European ARPAnet node with transatlantic IP connectivity in 1970. Kirstein’s relationships with numerous researchers at top U.S. research institutions involved in expanding the ARPAnet. They served him well as the ARPAnet extended connections from the U.S. to Norway. Kirstein also participated in an ARPA packet satellite research project that brought several other European sites into the system.

Robert Kahn Demonstrates ARPAnet to Public

1972

Robert Kahn was the first person who demonstrated the ARPAnet to the public by connecting 20 different computers at the International Computer Communication Conference. In doing so, it showed the importance of packet-switching technology to to the public

ARPANET Makes First Connection Outside of USA

1973

ARAPNET's first connection outside of the US was Norway. Approximately 2000 people were connected in 1973. Before they connected to Norway, they connected to the University College of London.

ARPANET Introduces Telenet

1974

The first Internet Service Provider (ISP) is born with the introduction of a commercial version of ARPANET, known as Telenet (Telecommunications Network Protocol). Various commercial and government interests paid monthly fees for dedicated lines connecting their computers and local networks to this backbone network. Free public dialup access to Telenet, for those who wished to access these systems, was provided in hundreds of cities throughout the United States.

First ARPANET Mailing List is Created

1975

In 1975, the first ARPANET mailing list, MsgGroup, was created by Steve Walker.Some of the early and most popular mailing lists included the following: Human-nets (Human factors and their relation to networks),network-hackers (Internet programming and protocol issues),sf-lovers (Science fiction literature) and wine-tasters (for Wine tasting)

Protocol for ARPANET Emerges

1977

In October 1977, ARPANET decided to split Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) into two protocols: TCP and IP (Internetworking Protocol). This allowed for multiple computers to connect with each other. The IP would keep track of data routing while TCP would be responsible for higher level functions such as segmentation, error detection, etc.The internetworking protocol became known as TCP/IP and is still used to this day.

The Creation of CSNET

1981

Another milestone in Internet history was the creation of CSNET in 1981. CSNET stands for 'Computer Science Network' and was a network for all US university and industrial computer research groups. CSNET was a network sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

ARPANET Was Split into Two Networks

1983

In 1983, ARPANET has split into two different networks which is MILNET and ARPANET. MILNET stands for 'Military Operations Network). MILNET was created for the use of those in the military and ARPANET was created for non-military users (everyday, regular people). This marked the "Start of the Modern Internet."

First U.S. Research & Education Network Developed

1985

Dr. Stephen Wolff lead the development of NSFNET (The National Science Foundation Network). NSFNET was a program of coordinated, evolving projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) beginning in 1985. It was the first U.S. open computer network supporting research and higher education.

ARPANET Ceases to Exist, World Wide Web is Created

1989

Sir Tim Berners Lee created the World Wide Web in 1989. ARPANET and the World Wide Web was commonly confused of being the same internet. In the World Wide Web, you can view pages and click links in order to access any pictures or text. The Web was built on top of the internet, making the use and functions of it more known to people.

The Shutdown of ARPANET

1990

The ARPANET became slow and outdated; in 1990 it formally shut down. Because it was a small part of the now larger network, the shutdown and went unnoticed. The network outgrew the ARPANET and had no other choice then to end it. Even though they shut down, ARPANET completed its task. It spurred an international interest in computer networking.

IBM, Merit, and MCI Creates ANSNET

1991

In 1991, the Internet was greatly expanding from continent to continent. Many people used the Internet globally, creating "Internet traffic". The U.S. government decide that the NSFNET (National Science Foundation Network) was not capable of supporting the rapidly increasing Internet traffic. Three companies: IBM, Merit, and MCI formed a non-profit organization called Advanced Network and Services (ANS) in order to build a new, high-speed Internet backbone called ANSNET.