A Brief Introduction To The History Of The Internet
Virtually everyone in the modern world has access to the web, though many folks don’t know the history of this popular networking system. However, it is important to have a basic understanding of this tool so that you can have a better education regarding the world around you.
While most tech can be readily attributed to the work of one or two individuals and the companies they worked for, that is not the case with the internet. It evolved over a period of time in different locations that eventually tied together in what we call the internet today.
More than half a century ago, the Soviet Union caused a stir in the US when they launched Sputnik. Though this tiny satellite is just a blip in history today, it was a big deal in the late 1950’s to the folks who thought it gave them an edge in the Cold War. As a result, the United States government and corporations began investing in mathematical and scientific studies for the younger generations.
Additionally, various agencies, including NASA, were created. The one relevant to the evolution of the web was the Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency.
While the government was developing ARPA, the private sector was investing in computer technologies. The two worked in conjunction over the next several years in an effort to build a better communication system that couldn’t readily be sabotaged by the Soviet Union in the event of a war. It was important that the various government agencies had a way of communicating, even if the phones and other lines of communication were thwarted by the “enemy.”
The development of packet switching was important to the researchers attempting to put together this secure network. The system being created is known today as the ARPAnet, the precursor to the internet. This particular system was limited to government and private entities directly involved in the project.
Although the first message crashed the system, it was destined to grow into something much more than these originators could have imagined. At the same time the United States was working on this type of tech, so were several other countries, including France and Britain.
Over time, other countries developed their own networks which eventually joined the others. In the 1990’s, use of the internet began to rise. At that point, many people still referred to it as the world wide web. Today, most folks call it the “internet,” or the “web.”
In the early years the system underwent huge changes on a regular basis. New businesses joined and old ones left. Everyone struggled to find out where this new tech fit into the world. While marketers for big companies were among the first to get on board, it wasn’t long before the internet reached into most homes across the country.
Today, people can access the internet not only with bulky home computers, but also with smart phones and tablets. It truly is amazing how far the internet has come since it’s humble beginnings a few decades ago.