Internet History

Overview The exact date of the birth of the Internet is subject to much debate. Opinions vary wildly with some people believing the beginning was in 1957, when the first network connecting four major universities was installed. Others believe that the beginning dates back to 1858 when the first communications cable was laid across the Atlantic Ocean. Regardless of when the Internet started, the high rate of technological advances over its lifetime has caused almost constant change and growth. Check out the links below to read more about the development of the Internet, the major inventions and technologies that have allowed the Internet to reach its current popularity, and the people who made it all a reality.

General Information The article “About the Internet” published by Galaxynet Internet Services states that the Internet began in 1969 when scientists at ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) created a network connecting four major universities. Another article, “Short History of the Internet” by Bruce Sterling, provides a history of the Internet, but offers no birth date. In the article “History of the Internet and Web”, author Anthony Andersberg starts his history in 700 BC with the use of messenger pigeons by the Greeks! Regardless of these debates, the modern Internet is a relatively new technology, developed in the 1960s with the help of many different individuals and organizations. The ARPA, created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957, developed computer networking and communications technology that provided the underlying base to the Internet. Another major milestone that predated the Internet was the implementation of the Atlantic cable in 1858, allowing high speed communication between the United States and Europe. Read more about this and other milestones in Internet technology by visiting the Web page www.netvalley.com/intval.html. At the Web page www.ibiblio.org/pioneers, you can read about some of the people whose contributions led to the creation of the Internet. 

WWW and E-mail History Two of the more familiar and most used aspects of the Internet include the WWW (or Web) and e-mail. When did the Web begin? What technological developments paved the way for WWW and e-mail implementation? You’ll find answers to these questions by reading the history timeline at www.w3.org/History.html. Also, be sure to read the in-depth article “The World Wide Web: Origins and Beyond" by Lenny Zeltser. This article discusses  the development of the WWW and the origin and function of hypertext, hyperlinks, and HTML. E-mail history and related facts are the topic of the Web page www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm. Read about the first e-mail message ever sent in Todd Campbell’s article “The First e-mail Message”. This article traces e-mail from its beginnings to its current worldwide use. 

Additional Links To view a timeline of the Internet’s development, visit the page www.zakon.org/robert/internet/timeline. The Internet Historical Society posts one of the most informative sites about Internet history at internet-history.org. Here you can read essays by longtime Internet and Usenet users. (Members must have more than 15 years of Internet experience.) And, be sure to visit the PBS site www.pbs.org/opb/nerds2.0.1 to explore the popular show “Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet”.