A Quick History of The Internet
Learn about the origins of the Internet from its Cold War beginnings to the rise of ARPANET, key protocols like TCP/IP, the invention of the World Wide Web, and the development of search engines. This lesson provides essential historical context to understand why modern networking works the way it does.
Why Learn History?
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Learn about the mistakes made during the development of the Internet and avoid repeating them.
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Understand why some things are designed and work the way they do today.
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Lastly, it’s interesting!
“Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it.”
– George Santayana
Let’s get right into it.
The '50s: The Cold War
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The birth of the Internet can be traced back to the middle of the last century.
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The U.S. was in the midst of a cold war with The Soviet Union and both nations were trying to gain an advantage over the other.
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In 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, the world’s first satellite, propelling us into the space age.
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This caught the US off-guard, and in response the U.S. government created ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) which was mandated with the responsibility of the technological and scientific advancement of the country.
