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Sputnik Launches
The world’s first man-made satellite is launched into orbit and Americans began to think more seriously about science and technology. -
A Galactic Network
To solve fears during the Cold War, an MIT/ ARPA scientist proposes a “galactic network” of computers that could communicate with one another in case the Soviet Union destroyed the telephone system. -
The RAND Proposal
Paul Baran’s RAND proposal was made public. He developed the concept of dividing information into “message blocks”, which led to “packet switching.” When a node received a message, it would packet it and store it, determine the best route to its destination and send it. -
2 Computers at MIT
Two computers at MIT communicate with one another using packet-switching technology. -
First Message Sent
ARPANET delivered its first message from UCLA. The message - “LOGIN” - was short and simple, but it crashed and the Stanford computer only received the note’s first two letters. -
ARPA Network
Four computers are now connected to ARPAnet. -
The Email
Email is first introduced by Ray Tomlinson. -
"Internet"
The term “internet” emerged as a simple abbreviation for internetworking between multiple computers. -
Domain Name System
The Domain Name System (DNS) establishes the familiar .edu, .gov, .com, .mil, .org, .net, and .int system for naming websites. -
Welcome to the World Wide Web
Tim Berners- Lee, a scientist at CERN -the European Organization for Nuclear Research- introduces the world wide web to the public. -
First Audio and Video
First audio and video is distributed over the Internet. -
Online Dating
First online dating site, Match.com, founded by Gary Kremen, launches. -
Netflix is Invented
Netflix is invented by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, and sends users DVDs by mail. -
Google is Born
Larry Page and Sergey Brin introduce the world to Google. The search engine changes the way users engage with the Internet forever. -
The Internet is Global
The Internet has now reached every populated country in the world. -
Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg creates Facebook at Harvard University, and an era of social networking begins. -
YouTube
Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim invent YouTube making it possible for anyone to upload videos online. -
Fair Use
The Obama administration announces its opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act, which would have created new regulations for service providers to police copyrighted content. It is considered a victory for such sites as YouTube that depend on “fair use” and user-generated content. -
WikiLeaks
Edward Snowden, former CIA employee, reveals that the NSA had a monitoring program in place capable of tapping the communications of thousands of U.S. citizens, in the event known as WikiLeaks. -
The "Smart" Future of the Internet
Google introduces Google Assistant, and Amazon introduces “Alexa,” marking the entry of the Internet into the “smart” computerized assistant marketplace.
