Feb 17, 2025
The origins of the internet trace back to ARPANET, a project funded by the U.S. Department of Defence in 1969. It aimed to create a resilient communication network that could withstand military attacks, forming the backbone for what became the internet.
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In 1969, the first message was sent across ARPANET from UCLA to Stanford, which was supposed to be LOGIN. However, the system crashed after just two letters, making it the first unintended failure in what would later become a massive network.
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In the early 1980s, Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn developed the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). These protocols were essential for allowing different networks to connect and communicate, forming the foundation of the modern internet.
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In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, launched the first-ever web page at CERN. This page explained the concept of the World Wide Web and allowed users to access and share information over the internet, marking the dawn of the web.
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Tim Berners-Lee also created the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and HTML (HyperText Markup Language), which enabled websites to be built and viewed through web browsers. This revolutionised how users interacted with the internet, making it user-friendly.
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Email became one of the first major uses of the internet. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, an engineer, sent the first email between two computers on the ARPANET. Email quickly gained popularity and became a cornerstone of internet communication.
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In 1993, Marc Andreessen co-created Mosaic, the first popular web browser, which allowed users to easily navigate the web. This was a game-changer, offering graphics, text, and links in one unified platform, leading to the internet's mass adoption.
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By the mid-1990s, the internet began to open to commercial ventures, and companies could create websites and offer services online. This led to the dot-com boom, where businesses, particularly in e-commerce, began to flourish on the global network.
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In the late 1990s and early 2000s, broadband internet access began to replace dial-up connections. This provided users with faster, always-on internet, paving the way for the explosion of online streaming, gaming, and social media platforms.
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The internet has grown from a small military project to a global communication and commerce tool, with over 5 billion people online today. Its evolution continues, with innovations like 5G, the Internet of Things, and AI shaping the future of our connected world.
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