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Telex messaging network comes on line
The Telex messaging network comes out of the early period of Germany’s Third Reich. Telex starts as a way to distribute military messages, but soon becomes a world-wide network of both official and commercial text messaging. -
USSR Launches Sputnik
USSR launches Sputnik into space and, with it, global communications. -
Bell Labs Invents Modem
Bell Labs researchers invent the modem (modulator - demodulator), which converts digital signals to electrical (analog) signals and back, enabling communication between computers. -
U.S. Government Creates ARPA
The United States government creates the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in response to Sputnik launch. -
Leonard Kleinrock Pioneers Packet-Switching
Leonard Kleinrock pioneers the packet-switching concept in his Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) doctoral thesis about queueing theory: Information Flow in Large Communication Nets. -
J.C.R. Licklider Conceives Intergalactic Network
J.C.R. Licklider writes memos about his Intergalactic Network concept of networked computers and becomes the first head of the computer research program at ARPA. -
SABRE
Online transaction processing makes its debut in IBM´s SABRE reservation system, set up for American Airlines. Using telephone lines, SABRE links 2,000 terminals in 65 cities to a pair of IBM 7090 computers, delivering data on any flight in less than three seconds. -
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Paul Baran, Donald Davies Develop Message Blocks/Packet-switching
The Rand Corporation's Paul Baran develops message blocks in the U.S., while Donald Watts Davies, at the National Physical Laboratory in Britain, simultaneously creates a similar technology called packet-switching. The technology revolutionizes data communications. -
ARPA Sponsors Networking Study
ARPA sponsors a study on "cooperative network of time-sharing computers." -
Lawrence Roberts & Thomas Marill Create First Wide-area Network
Lawrence Roberts (MIT) and Thomas Marill get an ARPA contract to create the first wide-area network (WAN) connection via long distant dial-up between a TX-2 computer in Massachusetts and a Q-32 computer in California. The system confirms that packet switching offers the most promising model for communication between computers. -
ARPAnet Design Begins
Lawrence Roberts leads ARPAnet design discussions and publishes the first ARPAnet design paper: "Multiple Computer Networks and Intercomputer Communication." Wesley Clark suggests the network is managed by interconnected ‘Interface Message Processors’ in front of the major computers. Called IMPs, they evolve into today’s routers. -
Donald Davies Publishes First Packet-switching Paper
Donald Watts Davies of the National Physical Laboratory in England publishes his paper on “packet-switching,” the term he coins. -
Bolt Beranek and Newman Wins IMP Development Contract
Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc. (BBN) is awarded the ARPA contract to build the Interface Message Processors. -
UCLA Develops ARPAnet Host Level Protocols
Steve Crocker heads UCLA Network Working Group under Professor Leonard Kleinrock to develop host level protocols for ARPAnet communication in preparation for becoming the first node. The group, which includes Vint Cerf and Jon Postel, lays the foundation for protocols of the modern Internet. -
UCLA Team Sends First Data Packets
The first data packets are sent between networked computers on October 29th by Charley Kline at UCLA, under supervision of Professor Leonard Kleinrock. The first attempt resulted in the system crashing as the letter G of “Login” was entered. The second attempt was successful. -
IMP Network Links First Four Nodes
The physical Interface Message Processor (IMP) network is constructed, linking four nodes: University of California at Los Angeles, SRI (in Stanford), University of California at Santa Barbara, and University of Utah. -
NetWare Core protocol is released
Steve Crocker and a team at UCLA released NCP (NetWare Core Protocol) in 1970. NCP is a file-sharing protocol for use with NetWare. -
Peter Kirstein Starts European ARPAnet
Professor Peter Kirstein of University College London starts the first European ARPAnet node with transatlantic IP connectivity. -
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Key Internet Protocols Implemented
Dr. David Clark implements Internet protocols for the Multics systems, the Xerox PARC ALTO and the IBM PC. -
The first e-mail
Ray Tomlinson sent the first e-mail. -
ALOHAnet
ALOHAnet, a UHF wireless packet network, is used in Hawaii to connect the islands together. Although it is not Wi-Fi, it helps lay the foundation for Wi-Fi. -
IMP Network Grows
Fifteen nodes (23 hosts) comprise the IMP network. -
Robert Kahn Demonstrates ARPAnet to Public
Robert Kahn demonstrates the ARPAnet to the public for the first time by connecting 20 different computers at the International Computer Communication Conference, and in doing so, imparts the importance of packet-switching technology. -
Jon Postel Helps Create First Internet Address Registry
While at the Information Science Institute, Jon Postel helps create the first Internet address registry, which later becomes Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). This administers IP addresses and other critical Internet functions. -
Louis Pouzin Leads CYCLADES Development
Louis Pouzin leads the French effort to build CYCLADES, France’s version of the ARPAnet. -
Ethernet Invented at Xerox Parc
Faced with the "good fortune to be the first person in the world to be given the problem of connecting a roomful of computers," Bob Metcalfe co-invented the Ethernet at Xerox Parc. -
TCP/IP Protocol Development Begins
Development begins on what will eventually be called TCP/IP protocol by a group headed by Vint Cerf (Stanford) and Robert Kahn (DARPA). The new protocol will allow diverse computer networks to interconnect and communicate with each other. -
Danny Cohen Pioneers Network Voice Protocol
Danny Cohen was the first to implement “packet video” and “packet voice” (Network Voice Protocol) when he adapted the visual flight simulator to run over the ARPANET in 1973. It was the first application of packet switching to real-time applications -
Experimental VoIP
An experimental VoIP call was made, officially introducing VoIP technology and capabilities. However, the first software allowing users to make VoIP calls was not available until 1995. -
University College of London Establishes First International ARPAnet Link
The first international connection to the ARPAnet is made by the University College of London (England) via NORSAR (Norway). -
Vint Cerf, Robert Kahn Coin 'Internet'
Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn publish "A Protocol for Packet Network Interconnection" which specifies in detail the design of a Transmission Control Program (TCP) and coins the term “Internet” for the first time. -
Bolt Beranek and Newman Founds Telenet
Lawrence Roberts helps Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN) found Telenet, the first public packet data service, a commercial version of ARPAnet. -
First routers at Xerox
The first routers were used at Xerox. However, these first routers were not considered true IP routers. -
Elizabeth Feinler Begins Leading NIC
Elizabeth “Jake” Feinler begins to help lead SRI International’s Network Information Center (NIC), where her group eventually develops the first Internet “yellow-” and “white-page” servers, the first query-based network host name and address (WHOIS) server, and the Host Naming Registry for the Internet. As a part of this effort she and her group develop the top-level domain naming schemes of .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, .org, and .net. -
First true IP router
Ginny Strazisar developed the first true IP router, originally called a gateway. -
Lawrence Landweber Creates Computer Science Network
Lawrence Landweber creates CSNET (Computer Science Network), a network for all US university and industrial computer research groups. By 1984, over 180 university, industrial, and government computer science departments are participating in CSNET. -
TCP/IP Protocol Development Ends
Bob Kahn invented the TCP/IP protocol for networks and developed it, with help from Vint Cerf. -
Jaap Akkerhuis Helps Connect the Netherlands and Europe
Jaap Akkerhuis becomes instrumental in the development of the Internet in the Netherlands and Europe and plays a key role as a global connector in the technical community. -
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IAB Established
As a DARPA manager, Dr. Barry Leiner helps establish the Internet Activities Board (later the Internet Architecture Board), which leads the effort to set early Internet technical standards. -
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Perlman Develops Key Routing Protocols
Radia Perlman designs IS-S (Intermediate System to Intermediate System) protocol for routing IP, which continues to flourish today, and the Spanning Tree algorithm, which allows the Ethernet to handle large clouds of data. -
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Douglas Van Houweling Oversees NSFnet
Dr. Van Houweling helps oversee the operation and management of NSFnet, the foundation on which the global Internet is built. -
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Lawrence Landweber Forges First U.S.- Europe Network Gateways
Lawrence Landweber establishes the first network gateways between the U.S. and European countries. He also establishes the “Landweber Conferences,” which are instrumental in showing scientists from around the world how to implement national academic and research networks in their countries. -
Ira Fuchs Helps Create BITNET
Ira Fuchs co-founds BITNET, a precursor to the Internet that offers many of the Internet’s core services years before the Internet’s commercialization. -
IPv4 is defined
Internet protocol version 4, or IPv4, was officially defined in RFC 791. IPv4 was the first major version of the Internet protocol. -
CSNET is developed
CSNET (Computer Science Network) was developed by the U.S. National Science Foundation. -
First Public WAN Initiated
Teus Hagen initiates the European Unix Network (EUnet) as the EUUG dial-up service, which becomes the first public wide area network in Europe, serving four initial “backbones.” -
Kilnam Chon Connects Asia to Internet
Kilnam Chon develops the first Internet connection in Asia, called SDN, and his pioneering work inspires others to promote the Internet’s regional growth. -
Paul Mockapetris Invents Domain Name System
Paul Mockapetris expands the Internet beyond its academic origins by inventing the Domain Name System (DNS). John Klensin helps facilitate early procedural and definitional work for DNS administration and top-level domain definitions. -
ARPAnet Transitions to TCP/IP
The ARPAnet changes its core networking protocols from Network Control Programs to the more flexible and powerful TCP/IP protocol suite, marking the start of the modern Internet. -
Japan’s UNIX Network Developed
Dr. Jun Murai, known as the ‘father of the Internet in Japan,’ develops the Japanese University UNIX Network (JUNET), the first inter-university network in that nation. -
First Email in Germany
The first email arrives in Germany from the U.S. on August 3, 1984. "Willkommen CSNET," it says. Werner Zorn plays a critical role in this event and establishing the German Internet. -
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CERN and TCP/IP
Ben Segal convinces CERN that TCP/IP is the key to making the Internet functional. -
Craig Partridge Develops Modern Email Routing System
Craig Partridge designs how email is routed using domain names. -
BITNET II
BITNET II was created to address bandwidth issues with the original BITNET. -
Internet Arrives in Chile
Florencio Utreras leads the connection of Chile to the BITNET network. -
Srinivasan Ramani Plays Role in India's ERNET
Srinivasan Ramani plays a key role in India’s Education and Research Network (ERNET) and leads the effort to set up ERNET’s international gateway, starting with a link to Amsterdam. -
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Southern Africa Gets Connected
While serving as executive director at SANGONeT, an Internet service provider and training institution for civil society, labour and community organizations, Esterhuysen, with many others, helps establish email and Internet connectivity in Southern Africa. -
ARPANET and T1 backbone
The first T1 backbone was added to ARPANET. -
First Internet Exchange Point Established
Dr. Glenn Ricart sets up the first Internet Exchange point, connecting the original federal TCP/IP networks and first U.S. commercial and non-commercial Internet networks. -
Thailand Gets a Domain Name
Dr. Kanchana Kanchanasut led Thailand’s effort to secure a domain name. -
Daniel Karrenberg Helps Build First Pan-European ISP
Daniel Karrenberg helps build EUnet, the first pan-European Internet Service Provider. By 1989, Karrenberg helps found Reseaux IP Europeens (RIPE), the key collaborative forum for Internet coordination in Europe. He also leads the formation of the world’s first Regional Internet Registry, the RIPE Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC). -
Wi-Fi's precursor: WaveLAN
WaveLAN network technology, the official precursor to Wi-Fi, was introduced to the market by AT&T, Lucent, and NCR. -
The Firewall
Details about network firewall technology were first published. The published paper discussed the first firewall, called a packet filter firewall, that was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation the same year. -
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Van Jacobson Solves Internet Congestion
Van Jacobson develops algorithms for the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) that help solve the problem of congestion and are still used in over 90% of Internet hosts today. -
Alan Emtage Begins Development of First Internet Search Engine
Alan Emtage conceives of and begins developing the world’s first Internet search engine, called Archie, pioneering many techniques used by search engines today. -
Global Internet Development Grows
Dr. Stephen Goldstein plays a key role in evaluating and funding the development of Internet initiatives around the world, helping connect about 25 countries to the NSFNET. -
Geoff Huston Helps Deploy Australian Internet
Geoff Huston leads the effort to bring the Internet from the academic and research sector to the Australian public. Through his work with the Australian communications service provider, Telstra, he helps facilitate the large-scale deployment of the Internet across Australia and as a transit service provider in the Asia Pacific region. -
Tim Berners-Lee Creates WWW
At CERN, the European Physical Laboratory, Tim Berners-Lee creates the World Wide Web. Robert Cailliau is a key proponent of the project and helps Berners-Lee author a proposal for funding. Later, Cailliau develops, along with Nicola Pellow, the first web browser for the Mac OS operating system. -
First network switch
Kalpana, a U.S. network hardware company, developed and introduced the first network switch. -
Sri Lankan Academic Internet Established
Gihan Dias helps set up and run the academic Internet in Sri Lanka (LEARN). -
Linus Torvalds Creates Linux
Linus Torvalds creates Linux and becomes a leading supporter of Open Source software. -
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Stephen Kent Pioneers Internet Security Systems
Dr. Stephen Kent pioneers secure communications over open networks. -
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Latin America Internet Development Begins
Ida Holz helps lead a group of computing pioneers whose efforts resulted in the development of the first Latin American networks. -
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Toru Takahashi Promotes Internet In Japan
Toru Takahashi helps bring the Internet to Japan and promotes it throughout Asia in the 1990s. He is key to the early commercial development of the Internet in the region. -
Dai Davies Joins Protocol Battle
Dai Davies helps introduce Internet technology into the pan-European backbone EuropaNet, which would eventually be dominated by TCP/IP. -
Netherlands Internet Development Begins
Kees Neggers leads the effort to create the first European Internet Provider (IP) backbone. -
Al Gore Creates Bill to Fund "Information Superhighway"
Al Gore creates the High-performance Computing and Communications Act of 1991 (the Gore Bill), which allocates $600 million for high-performance computing and helps create the National Research and Educational Network. The Gore Bill also creates the National Information Infrastructure, known as the Information Superhighway. -
World Wide Web Opens to Public
The World Wide Web is made available to the public for the first time on the Internet. -
Vint Cerf, Robert Kahn Found Internet Society
Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn found the Internet Society. Meanwhile, hosts on the Internet pass the one million mark. -
Nabil Bukhalid Brings the Internet to Lebanon
Nabil Bukhalid leads the team at the American University of Beirut that brings the Internet to Lebanon and establishes the Lebanese Domain Registry. -
John Cioffi Standardizes DSL
DMT (Discrete Multitone)-based DSL technology developed by Dr. John Cioffi, “Father of DSL,” becomes the US standard. -
NCSA Releases Mosaic Browser
Mark Andreessen and Eric Bina create the Mosaic browser at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), which helps popularize the World Wide Web among the general public. -
First Internet Backbone Launches In China
Jianping Wu leads the design, development and evolution of CERNET, the first Internet backbone in China, helping it become the largest national academic network in the country. -
First Direct TCP/IP Connection in Mainland China
Madam Qiheng Hu leads a delegation to the US for discussions with the National Science Foundation, which facilitates the setting up the first direct TCP/IP connection in mainland China. -
New Protocols Enable VoIP
Dr. Henning Schulzrinne co-develops key protocols that enable Voice over the Internet protocol (VoIP). -
IPv6 is introduced
IPv6 is introduced as an improvement over IPv4, including a wider range of IP addresses, improved routing, and embedded encryption. -
Brewster Kahle Founds Internet Archive; Email Surpasses Postal Mail
There is more email than postal mail in the U.S., and Brewster Kahle founds the Internet Archive, a free digital library with a mission to provide “universal access to all knowledge.” Chronicling over 85 billion pieces of deep Web geology, Kahle creates a history of the Internet’s formation. -
First Wi-Fi standard
The first version of the 802.11 standard for Wi-Fi is introduced, providing transmission speeds up to 2 Mbps. -
Shigeki Goto Fosters APAN Internet Expansion
Shigeki Goto helps found Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) in 1997, which is instrumental in the expansion of the Internet across Asia-Pacific. -
Tan Tin Wee Founds Multilingual Internet DNS
Tan Tin Wee founds the multilingual Internet domain name system and is instrumental in its internationalization. In the 1990s, under his leadership, Singapore hosts the first Chinese and Tamil websites. He is widely recognized for his award-winning technological efforts in the Tamil-speaking community and guides the development of the Tamil Internet. -
DNSSEC Introduced
Anne-Marie Eklund Lowinder helps the .SE board understand the importance of DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions), the Internet protocol guards that enable users to be sure they are visiting a secure site. -
Wi-Fi 802.11a standard
The 802.11a standard for Wi-Fi was made official, designed to use the 5 GHz band and provide transmission speeds up to 25 Mbps. -
Wi-Fi 802.11b standard
802.11b devices were available to the public, providing transmission speeds up to 11 Mbps. -
Wi-Fi WEP encryption
The WEP encryption protocol for Wi-Fi is introduced, for use with 802.11b. -
Mitchell Baker Helps Found Mozilla Project
Mitchell Baker gets involved in the Mozilla Project and becomes a founding chairperson of the Mozilla Foundation. She helps legitimize Open Source Internet application clients. -
Nii Quaynor Brings Internet to Africa
Professor Nii Quaynor, known as Africa’s ‘Father of the Internet,’ convenes the first training workshop for the African Network Operators’ Group. His efforts have a profound impact on the continent’s Internet growth. -
Aaron Swartz Helps Build Creative Commons
Under the leadership of Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig, Aaron Swartz helped build the open architecture for Creative Commons, which works to minimize the barriers to sharing and reusing research and educational materials. -
Jimmy Wales Launches Wikipedia
Jimmy Wales launches Wikipedia. There are half a million Internet users. -
Pun Connects Nepal
Mahabir Pun, with the help of volunteers from the US and Europe, connects the first village in Nepal to the Internet using long-range wireless links built from homemade antennas. This is the beginning of the Nepal Wireless Network, which has since connected 175 villages to the Internet. -
Wi-Fi 802.11g standard
802.11g devices were available to the public, providing transmission speeds up to 20 Mbps. -
Wi-Fi WPA encryption
The WPA encryption protocol for Wi-Fi is introduced, for use with 802.11g. -
Wi-Fi WPA2 encryption
The WPA2 encryption protocol is introduced, as an improvement over and replacement for WPA. All Wi-Fi devices are required to be WPA2 certified by 2006. -
World’s Longest WiFi Record
Ermanno Pietrosemoli secures the world record for the longest WiFi connection at 382 km. -
Wi-Fi 802.11n standard
The 802.11n standard for Wi-Fi was made official. It provides higher transfer speeds over 802.11a and 802.11g, and it can operate on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bandwidths. -
China Dominates Internet Usage
By 2010, there are over 450 million Chinese Internet users. -
Royal Wedding Is Biggest Internet Event; UCLA Opens Internet History Center
Live streaming of Will and Kate’s wedding is the biggest event ever watched on the Internet, and UCLA, where the first ARPAnet node was built, opens its Internet History Center. -
Wi-Fi WPA3 encryption
The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced WPA3 encryption for Wi-Fi, which includes security enhancements over WPA2.
