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Arpanet
The U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) was the first public packet-switched computer network. It was first used in 1969 and finally decommissioned in 1989. ARPANET's main use was for academic and research purposes. -
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The History of the Internet
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The First e-mail
The first network email was sent by computer engineer Ray Tomlinson in 1971. The email to himself said “something like QWERTYUIOP”. -
The First Online Game (Maze War)
Maze War (also known as The Maze Game, Maze Wars or simply Maze), developed in 1973-74, was the first networked, 3D multi-user first person shooter game. -
The First Spam e-mail
It was an advertisement for a presentation by Digital Equipment Corporation for their DECSYSTEM-20 products sent by Gary Thuerk, a marketer of theirs. The reaction to it was almost universally negative, and for a long time there were no further instances. -
The First GIF
On June 15, 1987, the most beloved image file extension on the internet was birthed by a team of CompuServe developers seeking a way to compress images with minimal data loss. -
World-Wide-Web
Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989, while working at CERN. The Web was originally conceived and developed to meet the demand for automated information-sharing between scientists in universities and institutes around the world. -
The First Search Engine
Archie is a tool for indexing FTP archives, allowing users to more easily identify specific files. It is considered the first Internet search engine. The original implementation was written in 1990 by Alan Emtage, then a postgraduate student at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. -
WWW Is Accessible Worldwide
On April 30, 1993, four years after publishing a proposal for “an idea of linked information systems,” computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee released the source code for the world's first web browser and editor. -
Web Standards
Originally HTML and related standards were discussed and agreed by a small group of interested parties on a mailing list. Later the W3 was formed, and it put in place increasingly rigorous processes, with increasing amounts of public consultation. -
The First Smartphone
The Nokia 9000 Communicator was the first device to offer a combination of keyboard, quality screen, and business and internet software in one package. Merging PDA and phone in an unbeatable package. -
The First Pop-Up
Ethan Zuckerman, who back in 1997 was a developer for Tripod.com, is credited with creating the code that enables pop-ups to open up a new browser window. -
The First Social Media
Six Degrees is widely considered to be the very first social networking site. Founded by Andrew Weinreich in May 1996, the site launched the following year and combined popular features such as profiles, friends lists and school affiliations in one service. -
The Launch of WiFi
The first version of the 802.11 protocol was released in 1997, and provided up to 2 Mbit/s link speeds. This was updated in 1999 with 802.11b to permit 11 Mbit/s link speeds, and this proved popular. -
Online Play In The Mainstream (XBOX Live)
First launched in 2002, Xbox Live allowed players to play Xbox games online for a fee, making online play accessible to the mainstream. -
Broadband Internet
Broadband refers to high-speed Internet access that is always on and faster than the traditional dial-up access. Broadband includes several high-speed transmission technologies such as: Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Cable Modem and Fiber. -
The Beginning of an Era (iPhone)
The pioneer of the smartphone released in 2007. The iPhone came to stay carving the way on what a phone will look like moving into the future. The perfect mix between personal computer and phone. -
Internet in Space (NASA DTN)
Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) is a suite of standard protocols that use information within the data stream (headers attached to data units) to accomplish end-to-end data delivery through network nodes. -
Social Media Craze
In the eraly 2010s, Facebook was the largest social media platform with over 400 million monthly. Platforms like Twitter were rising in pupularity, while Instagram was making its debut. It was the begining of an era for modern social media. -
A Smartphone in Every Pocket
By the early to mid 2010s, smartphones were fleshed out everyday devices that lived in almost every pocket. Whether it was Android or iOS, they existed in every home. -
AI Assistants and Smart Speakers
AI assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri, are what runs these bluetooth speakers. Such speakers are not only used for music, but also for asking questions, making calendar appointments, receiving notifications, etc. -
Huge Leaps in Data Streaming (Microsoft Flight SImulator)
Microsoft's Flight Simulator (2020) pushed the limits in data streaming by streaming literal terabytes of real-time data from bing maps in order to recreate the entirety of our planet within the interactive simulator. -
Entertainment Boxes Are Almost Obsolete
Services such as Netflix, HBO Max, Xbox Cloud, and Nvidia GeForce Now are pushing the limits of internet bandwith by streaming 4K content endlessly. The latter two are even more impressive by recreating actual computers and streaming videogames at quality as high as 4K 60fps/ 2K 120fps.
