Internet History Timeline

Studying an Internet history timeline will allow you to see how the system has changed from its first days, but may also surprise you with how long the Internet has actually been around.

1969 - The first version of the Internet named ARPANET is researched and created.

1971 - Email is invented. Twenty three hosts are available on the system and people can communicate.

1973 - The first international connections to the Internet were established. The University College of London and The Royal Radar Establishment in Norway joined ARPANET.

1974 - Telenet, the first public packet data service, opened.

1976 - Queen Elizabeth sends out her first email.

1976 - A system known as Unix to Unix Copy was developed at AT&T Bell Labs.

1977 - The number of email hosts breaks the 100 level, and email is available to more than 100 researchers in the field of computer science.

1979 - News groups became available.

1979 - People can play games on the Internet.

1979 - Sites are available to more than one user at a time.

1979 - ARPA creates the Internet Configuration Control Board.

1981 - Scientists at colleges and universities which do not have access to ARPANET are now able to utilize email.

1982 - TCP/IP is created. These letters stand for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.

1983 - People are now able to use the Internet from their personal computers, as opposed to having one computer for sharing purposes.

1984 - The DNS (Domain Name Server) comes into existence, making it easier for people to find and access websites. There are now over 1000 hosts.

1986 - The number of hosts continued to explode, and by this time, 5000 exist.

1987 - Over 28,000 hosts exists and the Internet continues to grow.

1989 - Over 100,000 hosts exists, a major milestone.

1990 - ARPANET is dissolved, and the Internet as we refer to it today is here. The World becomes the first dial up Internet service option.

1991 - The face of the Internet becomes more user friendly. CERN releases the concept of the world wide web. At the time, graphics were not involved.

1992 - Jean Armour Polly coins the term "surfing the Internet."

1993 - Graphics are added to the world wide web by MOSAIC.

1993 - The White House is connected to the Internet.

1993 - The United Nations is connected to the Internet.

1993 - The Internet becomes extremely popular and attractive to both the media and the business world.

1994 - Direct connections to the Internet appear in local areas.

1994 - Online shopping and banking becomes available.

1994 - The United States House and Senate have online information available.

1996 - Microsoft launches Internet Explorer.

1999 - The first hints of the wireless Internet are brought into life.

2005 - Facebook was officially launched. Social networking explodes as individuals from across the country engage in these practices.

2005 - The One Laptop Per Child Project starts.

2009 - The first multi touch website arrives.

2010 - 4G wireless networks become available in the United States.

Although the Internet is massive, it promises to continue to grow as time progresses. Facts have been researched on Net Valley's History of the Internet , Dave Site, and Computer History.