The Origins of the Internet

  • ARPA Created

    ARPA Created
    The Advanced Research Projects Agency was a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense which was responsible for many developments of emerging technologies that were mainly used by the military. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower helped to found the Advanced Research Projects Agency. It is now known as the DARPA or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency .
  • The First WAN Created

    The First WAN Created
    A wide area network (WAN) is a massive network that can use different types of links to communicate data no matter the location. The U.S. Air Force developed the first WAN in order to interconnect sites to their radar defense system making it easier to transfer information
  • The First Modem Invented

    The First Modem Invented
    A modem is a computer device that converts data from a digital format into an analog transmission such as a telephone or radio. The first modem was developed by Dennis C. Hayes in order to allow audio transmission
  • Packet-Switching Idea Created

    Packet-Switching Idea Created
    Packet Switching is a mode of data transmission in which a message is broken into different parts that are sent independently and reassembled at its destination. Leonard Kleinrock first proposed the idea of packet-switching in order to improve the transfer of data. Paul Baran is known as the man who eventually invented packet-switching.
  • The First Ever Computer Virus Created

    The First Ever Computer Virus Created
    The idea of a computer virus actually came before an actual computer network. A man known as John von Neumann theorized about a self-replicating program 30 years before it was created. 30 years later, the Creeper Program was created but was never used maliciously. The program was run as a field test in order to determine whether it was possible to create a self-replicating program which ended in the first virus being created
  • Apple Founded

    Apple Founded
    Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne with its original purpose being to change people's views on computers. In the modern world, Apple is now widely considered one of the biggest companies which is still gaining popularity due to its new annual new releases.
  • The Personal Computer was Launched

    The Personal Computer was Launched
    IBM created the first personal computer with a price tag of
    $1,565. Early studies concluded that there were not enough applications to justify the creation of the computer and the task force was fighting the idea that things couldn't be done quickly in IBM. But, the computer was made in just 1 year after it was proposed originally
  • The First Emoticon was Used

    The First Emoticon was Used
    The word emoticon comes from a combination of the words emotion and icon. Although it has been claimed that the first emoticon appeared in 1979. Scott E. Fahlmam used the first-ever documented emoticon. Scott suggested that :-) would indicate humourous posts and :-( could indicate serious posts.
  • Internet Invented

    Internet Invented
    Vint Cerf and Bob (Robert) Kahn worked together in order to develop ARPANET into the internet it is today. Prior to this date, computers could not communicate with each other
  • The First Worm Created

    The First Worm Created
    The Morris Worm was created and was the first worm to get significant public media attention. An estimated total of 6,000 computers were affected and became inoperable It also resulted in the first felony conviction in the US under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It was written by a graduate student at Cornell University, Robert Tappan Morris, and launched from the MIT network.
  • The Michelangelo Virus Created

    The Michelangelo Virus Created
    The Michelangelo Virus was first found in Australia. This virus is infamous because of its huge impact. The virus infected 5 million different computers. The virus would override critical data making data unrecoverable. The virus operated at a BIOS level and was created by an unknown author.
  • Mosaic Web Browser Launched

    Mosaic Web Browser Launched
    Mosaic was developed in the United States by Marc Andreessen and others. Mosaic was the first ever widely available browser. This browser popularized the World Wide Web and the Internet. However, It is now discontinued.
  • Yahoo Founded

    Yahoo Founded
    Yahoo was the first popular search engine to reach the web. It was founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo.
  • Amazon Founded

    Amazon Founded
    Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, the most influential delivery service which has changed the internet and world.
  • Internet Explorer Launched

    Internet Explorer Launched
    Internet Explorer is a well known web browser that is still used to this day. It was originally launched by Microsoft but is now renamed to Microsoft Edge
  • Ebay Founded

    Ebay Founded
    Another important delivery service but not as influential as Amazon. Ebay was founded by Pierre Omidyar
  • Instant Messenger Launched

    Instant Messenger Launched
    AOL launched the Instant Messenger app named AIM. This app rapidly became a popular messenger app amongst the public. AIM paved the way for other messenger apps to be as they are today
  • Google Founded

    Google Founded
    Google was founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Google became the most popular search engine to ever be created and is iconic in the modern world being used everywhere.
  • iTunes Launched

    iTunes Launched
    Apple launched iTunes and it soon became one of the leading apps to download music, music videos, and movies. iTunes is still around in the modern world as a somewhat important app
  • Safari Launched

    Safari Launched
    Apple launched Safari, making it it's primary web browser. This browser would eventually become the default browser on all Apple products
  • First Mobile Virus Created

    First Mobile Virus Created
    The first mobile virus was called Cabir and made by an international group of virus writers. The virus spreads through Bluetooth signals and was started by being sent to security researchers
  • Facebook Launched

    Facebook Launched
    Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook which is now known as Meta. Facebook/Meta has become one of the biggest companies as they own apps such as Instagram.
  • Youtube Founded

    Youtube Founded
    Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen founded Youtube which would eventually be owned by Google and become the most popular video streaming website amongst all age groups.
  • iPhone Launched

    iPhone Launched
    Apple launched the iPhone, one of the most popular mobile phones in modern society with its only competitor being Samsung.
  • Pinterest Launched

    Pinterest Launched
    Paul Sciarra, Ben Silbermann, and Evan Sharp founded Pinterest, a social media network that is popular for sharing images for nearly everything.
  • Instagram Launched

    Instagram Launched
    Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger founded Instagram, a popular social media service today. Eventually, it would be bought out by Facebook/Meta
  • Skype Bought

    Skype Bought
    Skype was founded by Niklas Zennström, Ahti Heinla, and Janus Friis and was once a popular online calling service. It was eventually bought out by Microsoft.