When Did the Internet Start?

In 1969, the ARPANET (Advanced Research Project Agency NETwork) was officially brought online. This is considered the first version of the Internet, although the term "Internet" was not used until 1974 when it was used in a paper explaining the inner workings of the TCP/IP system.

At first, it connected four computers at universities in the southwest of the United States - UCLA, Stanford, UCSB, and the University of Utah. Other computers were quickly added just a year later at Harvard, MIT, BBN, and Systems Development Corporation.

One year later, additional computers were added from Stanford, additional labs at MIT, Carnegie-Mellon, and Case Western Reserve University. By 1970, there were over 23 facilities connected together.

In the months and years that followed, more and more computers were added to this network.

Early Users

This early version of the Internet was not intended for public use. It was used by government contractors and universities working on secret projects. The progress on any project could be checked by anyone connected to the network and updates could be provided in real time, making it easy to keep everyone in the project in the loop.

In addition, the early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. Libraries used the Internet as a way of automating and networking their catalogs. The Internet was an extremely complex system, and individuals had to be trained to understand how to use it.

Features Added

New features were also added to the network:

In 1972, an early form of electronic mail was adapted for ARPANET by Vinton Cerf from Stanford University and Bob Kahn from the DOD. This early form of electronic mail also used a username and an address to send and receive the messages.
In 1972, the telnet protocol which allowed logging on to a remote computer was established.
In 1973, another advancement in the evolution of the Internet was developed - file transfers were now available between different Internet sites.
In 1976, the Ethernet cable was developed by Dr. Robert M. Metclafe. This was the birthplace of what we know today as LANs.
In 1979, the first USENET and listserve networks were created using the TCP/IP protocol. With these new developments, newsgroups had been formed.
In 1983 a domain name system had been created which simplified the process of Internet exploration.

By 1984 a common computer language had developed that allowed all computers on the network to communicate with each other.

Early Beginnings of the Internet Before ARPANET

To understand the introduction of ARPANET and the subsequent growth of the Internet features and usage, it is important to step back and review the original reasons which caused ARPANET and the Internet to be developed.

In 1952, after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the United States began to worry about falling behind in its technology. The United States formed the Advanced Projects Agency (also called ARPA) in the Department of Defense (DOD).

This agency was formed for the specific purpose of advancing technology and science in the country. Two key personnel were hired in 1962:

Paul Baran, who was working for the RAND Corporation was hired for the purpose of developing and maintaining a system to maintain control over nuclear weapons should an attack be launched against the US.
J.C.R. Licklider of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) proposed the idea of a global network of computers. This paper was called “On-Line Man Computer Communication,” and was co-published with Weldon Clark. Licklider was then hired by the DOD for the purpose of creating an interconnection between the main computers at the Department.

While attempting to create this control system and the interconnection between computers, it became more and more apparent that inter-networking was needed as well.

Packet Switching

Building upon some of Licklider’s ideas, Leonard Kleinrock from MIT developed the idea of packet switching. Packet switching is a quick store and forward networking design. It separates messages into different packets. These packets are then routed to various places, and the routing decisions are made per packet.

This formed the backbone of Internet connections. Kleinrock’s theory was confirmed in 1965 when Lawrence Roberts from MIT was able to connect a California computer with a Massachusetts computer using a dial-up telephone line. Not only did this confirm the idea of packet switching, it also showed that networking across large areas of land was possible.

Modern Internet

The Internet continued to develop and grow. The commands for electronic mail, as well as other components of the Internet were standardized. This made it easier for individuals to use the Internet, and thus it became more applicable for the public in general. More and more universities and libraries connected to the system, and the amount of websites grew exponentially. However, the Internet was still difficult to use for the majority of people.

By 1991, the first friendly interface to the Internet was created at the University of Minnesota. The University essentially created a menu system which allowed for easy access of files and information between computers on the campus. Thus, this began the transformation of Internet into a form that the average individual could use.

Today the Internet links millions of computers around the globe to each other and contains numerous tools that make finding information easy and user friendly. Search engines help you find information on any subject by matching keywords which you specify to sites in cyberspace which pertain to your subject.