The History of the Internet: From ARPANET to WWW

 

In this article the development of the Internet is described as a process that began with military experiments and became one of the most crucial tools for people’s communication in the modern world. 

Here's a detailed overview of its development: 

The Origins: ARPANET:

1960s: ARPA was established in the United States Department of Defense and it is the birth place of the Internet, although its first name was ARPANET. 

The objective was to establish a network that could function even if some of the structures were attacked. 

1969: The first message was transmitted on ARPANET on October 29,1969 from UCLA’s computer to that of Stanford University. 

The message was to be LOGIN but due to the system failure it only displayed LO. 

Early Development: The network was first established between four computers of the universities of California, namely UCLA, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah. 

It employed a technique known as packet switching where data is divided into packets and transmitted with each packet being independent of the other and then reassembled at the final end. 

Expansion and Protocol Development:

1970s: ARPANET grew when more universities and research organizations joined in. The processes to enable the interconnectivity of various networks emerged, and thus the formation of TCP/IP. 

1974: Cerf and Kahn published a paper on the TCP protocol and this laid down the format of the flow of data across the network. 

1976: The Queen of England, Elizabeth II, used the electronic mail for the first time, which can be considered as the starting point in popularization of the concept of electronic communication among the population. 

This is where the birth of internet comes in: 

1983: ARPANET adopted the TCP/IP protocol and this is when many people consider the modern Internet began. 

This change enabled the different networks to be connected making it the network of networks as we use it today. 

1984: The creation of Domain Name System or DNS to assist in navigation by typing simple domain names rather than IP numbers. 

The World Wide Web:

1989: British scientist Tim Berners-Lee who was working at European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, developed the World Wide Web is a system for linking documents in hypertext that can be accessed through the Internet. 

1990: Berners-Lee created the first browser and web server that laid the foundation of the contemporary world wide web. 

The first website was created in 1991 and it described the World Wide Web idea and how to navigate through it. 

1993: The Mosaic web browser was created this enabled the web to be used by non-technical persons since it had a user-friendly GUI. 

This led to the increase in demand of web development and usage. 

Commercialization and Growth:

Mid-1990s: The Internet grew very fast as the companies and people started using it for communication, marketing, and exchanging information. 

Some of the major online retailers such as Amazon in 1994 and eBay in 1995 were established during this year. 

1996 : The Telecommunications Act of 1996 in the United States paved way for the deregulation of the telecommunication sector hence boosting the Internet. 

The Dot. com Boom and Bust: 

Late 1990s: The Internet experienced tremendous growth and many new firms (dot-coms) began to develop in order to take advantage of the new medium. 

Capital inflow increased, thus, creating a stock market bubble. 

2000: The dot-com bubble burst which led to the failure of most Internet related companies. 

Nevertheless, this period paved the way for future Internet behemoths such as Google (established in 1998) and Amazon. 

The Social Media Revolution:

2004: The social site Facebook begun, and other social sites such as YouTube 2005, twitter 2006, and Instagram 2010. 

These platforms changed the communication and information sharing that takes place on the Internet. 

2007: The launch of iPhone can be considered as the start of the mobile Internet which also improved the accessibility and connectivity. 

The Modern Internet: 

2010s and Beyond: Internet has become pervasive and its usefulness has been further boosted by the developments in the mobile devices, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. 

Internet of Things (IoT) is making devices of our everyday lives connect to the Internet and hence making the world more connected. 

The history of the Internet is marked by continuous innovation and adaptation. 

From its humble beginnings as a military project, it has grown into a global platform that has transformed every aspect of modern life. 

As technology continues to evolve, the Internet will undoubtedly play an even more significant role in shaping the future.