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USSR launches Sputnik, first artificial earth satellite
In response, US forms the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the following year, within the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish US lead in science and technology applicable to the military -
Period: to
Years
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ARPA sponsors study on "cooperative network of time-sharing computers"
TX-2 at MIT Lincoln Lab and AN/FSQ-32 at System Development Corporation (Santa Monica, CA) are directly linked (without packet switches) via a dedicated 1200bps phone line; Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) computer at ARPA later added to form "The Experimental Network -
Network Working Group (NWG), headed by Steve Crocker, loosely organized
To develop host level protocols for communication over the ARPANET -
ARPA goes online in December
ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) goes online in December, connecting four major U.S. universities. Designed for research, education, and government organizations, it provides a communications network linking the country in the event that a military attack destroys conventional communications systems. -
First cross-country link installed by AT&T between UCLA and BBN at 56kbps
This line is later replaced by another between BBN and RAND. A second line is added between MIT and Utah -
Ray Tomlinson of BBN invents email program to send messages across a distributed network
The original program was derived from two others: an intra-machine email program (SENDMSG) and an experimental file transfer program (CPYNET) -
First computer-to-computer chat takes place at UCLA
Is repeated during ICCC, as psychotic PARRY (at Stanford) discusses its problems with the Doctor (at BBN). -
Ray Tomlinson (BBN) modifies email program for ARPANET where it becomes a quick hit
The @ sign was chosen from the punctuation keys on Tomlinson's Model 33 Teletype for its "at" meaning -
Bob Metcalfe's Harvard PhD Thesis outlines idea for Ethernet
The concept was tested on Xerox PARC's Alto computers, and the first Ethernet network called the Alto Aloha System -
Satellite links cross two oceans (to Hawaii and UK)
The first TCP tests are run over them by Stanford, BBN, and UCL
