History of Web and Internet

What is Internet?
What is Network?
Who invented Internet?
 History of Internet?
1950s: The Seed of Ideation

1950 – 1958

•Cold War Influence: As tensions mounted between the USA and the Soviet Union,
fears of technological inferiority took hold in the United States. This environment
catalyzed technological innovation, particularly in defense and communication.

•Story of ARPA Creation: In 1957, the Soviet launch of Sputnik led the U.S. to create
the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), focusing on cutting-edge technology
that could ensure American superiority.
 History of Internet?
1960s: The Birth of Networking Concepts

1962

J.C.R. Licklider’s Vision: Psychologist and computer scientist J.C.R. Licklider wrote about an “Intergalactic
Computer Network.” His ideas laid the foundation for what would eventually become the Internet, envisioning
computers communicating with each other seamlessly.
 History of Internet?
1960s: The Birth of Networking Concepts

1962
J.C.R. Licklider’s Vision: Psychologist and computer scientist J.C.R. Licklider wrote about an “Intergalactic
Computer Network.” His ideas laid the foundation for what would eventually become the Internet, envisioning
computers communicating with each other seamlessly.

1965
First Wide-Area Network (WAN) Experiment: Lawrence Roberts, working at MIT, connected computers over a
telephone line, demonstrating the potential for data communication between distant systems. This marked the
first step toward large-scale networking.

1969
Birth of ARPANET: Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, ARPANET was the world’s first packet-switching
network. The first message, “LO” (intended to be “LOGIN”), was sent between UCLA and the Stanford Research
Institute but crashed mid-transmission—a simple yet monumental moment.
 History of Internet?
1970s: The Foundation of Modern Networking

1971
The First Email: Email was invented by Ray Tomlinson, who introduced the “@” symbol to separate user names
from computer names. Email rapidly became the ARPANET’s most popular service. Ray Tomlinson sent the first-
ever email, choosing the “@” symbol to separate user names from computer names. This innovation became
the backbone of digital communication.

1973
International Expansion: ARPANET went global when a node was added in Norway, marking the first
international connection and setting the stage for a global communication network.
The concept of networking protocols took a leap forward with Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf designing TCP/IP
(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). TCP/IP would later become the standard protocol for the
Internet.
 History of Internet?
1970s: The Foundation of Modern Networking

1974
The Term ‘Internet’: Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn proposed a new protocol called TCP (Transmission Control
Protocol). It was during this period that the term “Internet” was used for the first time, referring to their idea
of interconnected networks.

1976
Queen Elizabeth II sent her first email, making her one of the first heads of state to communicate using this
emerging technology.

1978
Birth of TCP/IP Protocol: Cerf and Kahn’s development of TCP/IP became the primary protocol suite for the
Internet, establishing a standardized method for network communication.
The first spam email was sent by a marketer named Gary Thuerk to ARPANET users, marking the beginning of
digital marketing (though it was highly controversial).
 History of Internet?
1980s: From Academic Network to Public Service

1983

Transition to TCP/IP: On January 1, 1983, ARPANET switched entirely to TCP/IP, marking the official birth of the
modern Internet as we know it. This event is celebrated as the beginning of all Internet communications.
The Domain Name System (DNS): Paul Mockapetris invented the DNS, introducing domains like .com, .org, and
.edu, making the Internet more user-friendly.

1984

The Domain Name System (DNS) was introduced, creating recognizable addresses such as “.com,” “.org,” and
“.net.” This simplified the way people accessed websites, making it more user-friendly.
 History of Internet?
1980s: From Academic Network to Public Service

1985

First Registered Domain Name: Symbolics.com became the first domain name to be registered, marking the
beginning of domain name usage that would soon become central to Internet navigation.

1989

The World Wide Web is Conceived: Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist working at CERN, proposed an idea for
a distributed information system that became the World Wide Web. His goal was to create a way to link and
access documents over the Internet using hyperlinks.
 History of Internet?
1990s: The Rise of the Web and Commercial Internet

1990
WWW Code Released: Berners-Lee wrote the first web page editor and browser, and the WWW was officially
born. It was the dawn of websites and web pages. Berners-Lee developed the first web browser and web
server, bringing his idea of the World Wide Web to life. This marked the beginning of web browsing and laid
the foundation for websites and content sharing.
ARPANET Shutdown: ARPANET, which had become obsolete, was decommissioned, officially passing the torch
to the modern Internet.

1991
The World Wide Web was publicly released, enabling people to share and access documents and websites
through a standardized system.

1993
Mosaic Browser: Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina developed Mosaic, the first popular web browser that
 History of Internet?
1990s: The Rise of the Web and Commercial Internet

1993
Mosaic Browser: Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina developed Mosaic, the first popular web browser that
brought a graphical interface to the web. This innovation allowed non-technical people to explore the web
easily.
The Mosaic web browser was introduced, making the Web accessible to everyday users by incorporating
graphics and an easy-to-use interface. This helped fuel the Internet’s exponential growth.

1994
Launch of Netscape: Netscape Navigator became the first widely used commercial web browser and played a
huge role in making the Internet more accessible to everyday users.
Amazon and Yahoo! were founded, symbolizing the rise of e-commerce and online search services.
 History of Internet?
1990s: The Rise of the Web and Commercial Internet

1995
Commercialization of the Internet: Netscape went public, igniting the “browser wars” with
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. eBay also launched, furthering the commercial potential of the Web.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): Tim Berners-Lee founded the W3C to standardize web protocols and
ensure the growth of the Internet as a free and open platform.
The introduction of the Java programming language allowed dynamic content to be created on web pages.

1998
Google’s Founding: Larry Page and Sergey Brin launched Google, fundamentally changing how people accessed
information. Its search algorithm quickly became the most efficient way to find information online.
History of Internet?
2000s: The Explosion of Social Media and Mobile Internet

2001
Wikipedia Launched: A free, collaborative online encyclopedia, Wikipedia became one of the most visited websites on the
Internet, transforming the way knowledge was shared.

2004
Facebook is Born: Originally a social network for college students, Facebook now known as Meta (founded by Mark
Zuckerberg) rapidly expanded to become one of the largest social platforms in the world.

2005
YouTube’s Founding: The video-sharing platform YouTube transformed content creation and consumption, giving rise to
video blogging (vlogging) and viral content.

2007
Launch of the iPhone: Apple’s iPhone ushered in the era of mobile Internet. With touchscreens and powerful web browsers,
the mobile revolution accelerated Internet adoption worldwide.

2008
The Google Chrome browser debuted, offering faster browsing speeds and setting new standards for web performance
History of Internet?
2010s: The Age of Connectivity, Apps, and Social Influence

2010
Instagram Launched: Focused on sharing photos and short videos, Instagram changed the landscape of social media and
influencer culture.
2011
Snapchat was founded, introducing ephemeral content and reshaping how people communicate online.
2013
Edward Snowden Revelations: Leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden exposed the extent of global digital
surveillance, sparking worldwide debate about online privacy and government oversight.
2015
Internet of Things (IoT): The term gained popularity as devices from thermostats to cars became connected to the Internet,
transforming everyday objects into “smart” devices.
2016
Artificial Intelligence and Internet Integration: AI technologies, chatbots, and smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and
Google Assistant became part of everyday Internet usage.
2018
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) was enforced in the European Union, highlighting privacy concerns and
regulating how companies handle user data.
History of Internet?
2020s: The Era of Remote Work and AI Integration

2020
COVID-19 Pandemic: The Internet became even more essential during the pandemic, with remote work, online
education, and virtual events becoming the norm. Services like Zoom saw exponential growth.
2021
The Metaverse concept gained traction, with major tech companies like Meta (formerly Facebook) exploring
virtual reality spaces for socialization, work, and commerce.
2022
Web3 and Decentralization: Conversations around Web3, blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), and
cryptocurrencies captured global attention, promising a more decentralized Internet structure.
2024
AI Dominance and Internet Personalization: AI continues to shape user experiences online. From advanced
content recommendations to seamless digital assistants, personalization remains a key driver for the future of
the Internet.
Continued expansion of 5G technology and discussions around AI ethics shape the modern Internet,
influencing how connectivity is managed and regulated worldwide.