Raphael Thys
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-switch-hub-turned-on-159304/
The Internet is one of the most incredible inventions of all time. It’s hard to imagine our world without it and even harder to conceive that it wasn’t that long ago that it was first created. Lets explore how the Internet was created and the journey it took to becoming ubiquitous in our lives today.
The creation of the Internet began with a series of experiments conducted by computer scientists Leonard Kleinrock and Paul Baran in the late 1960s.
Their experiments were designed to test out ideas related to packet switching — a concept that would become an essential part of how networks communicate data later on. Packet switching involves breaking down data into smaller “packets” which can be sent independently over any available route, allowing for more efficient use of bandwidth than traditional circuit switching (used in telephone networks).
Kleinrock and Baran’s work eventually caught the attention of DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), who saw potential military applications for their research and funded further exploration into packet switching technology.
This led to the start of ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in 1969, which is widely considered as the predecessor for today’s Internet.
The initial network had only four computers attached at universities around California, but it quickly grew from there. By 1971, there were 15 nodes (or computers) connected across four states within ARPANET, making it a viable network for file transfer between computers located in different areas.
In 1974, Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn developed Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol or TCP/IP as a way for computers to communicate across different networks.
This protocol allowed for data transfer not just within local networks but also between distant networks such as those connected by satellites or phone lines — thus creating what we now understand as global communication through interconnectedness rather than isolated segmented systems such as ARPANET.
Photo by Markus Spiske: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-matrix-background-1089438/
Throughout the years since its inception, many technologies have been added to complement TCP/IP such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) used for web pages; File Transfer Protocol (FTP) used for large files; Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) used for email; Virtual Private Networks (VPNs); and Domain Name System (DNS) which translates IP addresses into domain names like www.examplewebsite.com .
Collectively these protocols create what we now know as the World Wide Web — an interwoven collection of documents accessible from anywhere on Earth with an internet connection.
Today, thanks to advanced technology such as fiber-optic cables enabling faster transmission speeds, 4G LTE mobile coverage reaching remote areas and WiFi becoming practically ubiquitous; almost everyone on earth has access to some form of internet connection allowing us to communicate instantly with anyone else on Earth with ease — something unimaginable half a century ago when Kleinrock and Baran started their experiments leading up to what would become one of humanity’s most important inventions…