The origins of the internet can be traced back to the late 1960s with the development of ARPANET, an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. This network initially connected four universities: UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah. The first successful message transmitted over ARPANET was sent on October 29, 1969, when a researcher attempted to send the word "LOGIN" but only managed to transmit the first two letters before the system crashed.
In the 1970s, the concept of packet switching emerged, thanks to the work of researchers like Paul Baran and Donald Davies. This method allowed data to be broken into packets and transmitted independently, which enhanced the reliability and efficiency of data transmission. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP), developed by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, established a standardized way for different networks to communicate, forming the backbone of internet architecture.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, ARPANET had expanded significantly, connecting multiple networks. The advent of email revolutionized communication, with Ray Tomlinson sending the first email in 1971. Interestingly, the "@" symbol was chosen to separate the user’s name from the computer’s name, and this convention remains in use today.
The introduction of the Domain Name System (DNS) in 1984 simplified navigation on the internet. Before DNS, users had to memorize numerical IP addresses. With the establishment of .com, .org, and .net extensions, the internet became more user-friendly.
The transition to the commercial internet in the early 1990s marked a significant turning point. The release of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991 introduced a graphical interface, making the web accessible to a broader audience. The first web browser, WorldWideWeb, later renamed Nexus, allowed users to view and navigate websites easily.
In the mid-1990s, the internet saw explosive growth, with the launch of search engines like Yahoo! and Google. This period also witnessed the rise of e-commerce, exemplified by the founding of Amazon in 1994. By the late 1990s, the internet had transformed into a global communication platform, shaping modern society.