Whether it's for work, business, e-commerce, communication or social media, the internet affects every aspect of our lives. But do you ever stop and think about how the internet was created? What was life like before the world was at our finger tips? Take a trip down the computer's memory lane with a brief timeline of the internet!
1958 - In response to the launch of the USSR launch of the first artificial earth satellite Sputnik, the US Department of Defense establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to maintain US dominance in military technology.
1962 - Dr. Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider, who works at the Information Processing Techniques Office at the ARPA, proposes a "Galactic Network" to link computers all around the world.
1964 - Paul Baran compiles a report called "On Distributed Communications: Introduction to Distributed Communications Networks" for the US Air Force Project RAND.
1966 - Robert Taylor, the directory of the ARPA's computer research program, begins the ARPAnet project, which is to become the foundation of the Internet that we know today!
1969 - The US Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency network (ARPANET), begins testing ways to enable a computer network to survive a military attack.
1969 - The IMP (standing for Interface Message Processor) network is formed. It links 4 ARPAnet nodes together. These networked notes send the first data packets between their computers and are successful on the second attempt.
1972 - Ray Tomlinson modified the email program for ARPANET and becomes the inventor of the email address. He chooses the "@" symbol for email addresses. Tomlinson is created for inventing the modern email address.
1972 - Jon Postel of the Information Science Institute helps create the first internet address registry. Later it becomes known as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, and administers IP addresses.
1973/74 - ARAPNET adopts the TCP/IP protocol for communications within the network.
1973 - Bob Metcalfe co-invented the Ethernet at Xerox Parc.
1974 - Elizabeth Feinler of of the Network Information Center (NIC) ldevelops the first query-based network host name and address (WHOIS) and creates the Host Naming Registry. Feinler and her group also create the the top-level domain naming schemes.
1974 - Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn coin the term 'Internet'.
1977 - Lawrence Landweber creates CSNET, which stands for the Computer Science Network. The CSNET is a network specifically for all US university and industrial computer research groups.
1980 - Radia Perlman designs the Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-S) protocol for IP routing.
1980 - Dr. Barry Leiner helps create the Internet Activities Board (IAB), which set the early standards for the Internet.
1983 - ARPAnet Transitions to TCP/IP, a more flexible program. This is the start of the modern internet.
1983 - Paul Mockapetris takes the internet beyond it's academic roots by inventing the Domain Name System (DNS.)
1986 - Craig Partridge develops the modern email routing system using domain names.
1986 - US National Science Foundations launches the National Science Foundation Network. NSFNET becomes a major source for the infrastructure of the Internet. NSFNET established a connection between thousands of computers. Commercial providers begin to offer access to those interested in joining the network.
1987 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet is published.
1988 - Tracy LaQuey Parker writes the monumental Internet book: The User's Directory of Computer Networks.
1988 - Dr. Glenn Ricart establishes the first Internet Exchange point, connecting the original TCP/IP networks and the first commercial Internet networks
1989 - Alan Emtage begins developing the first internet search engine.
1989 - Tim Berners-Lee creates the World Wide Web. (WWW)
1989 - Brewster Kahle creates the Internet's first publishing system called WAIS - Wide Area Information Server. WAIS was the beginning of today's search engines.
1990 - Linus Torvalds invents Linux.
1991 - Phil Zimmermann creates Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) email encryption.
1991 - The World Wide Web opens to the public for the first time.
1992 - Cerf and Kahn found the Internet Society.
1993 - John Cioffi Standardizes DSL.
1993 - Mark Andreessen and Eric Bina create the Mosaic browser - later to be taken over by Netscape. This web browser is created for popularizing the World Wide Web to the general public.
1995 - Yahoo! is incorporated and produces one of the first search engines for the World Wide Web.
1998 - Blogs first make an appearance on the World Wide Web.
1998 - Google.com is incorporated and would go on to become the most popular search engine in history.
1998 - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was created for maintaining the domain name system.
Early 2000s - Due to increased popularity, more accessable high-speed internet access became available through cable television companies via cable modems.