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Arpanet: this was created by the U.S. department of Defense. It connected four university computers and allowed them to communicate. -
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Ray Tomlinson develops email and uses the "@" symbol to designate email addresses. This link The First Ever Email provides more information about the first email sent. -
ARPANET links with the University College London, expanding outside the U.S.
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January 1, 1983, marks the official birth of the internet as ARPANET switches to the TCP/IP protocol. -
DNS replaces numeric IP addresses with human-readable names (e.g., .com, .org). You can learn more about the replacement of numeric IP addresses by using this link DNS Explained: How Domain Names Get Translated into IP Addresses -
Robert Tappan Morris releases the first worm, exposing vulnerabilities and leading to cybersecurity developments. You can learn more about the first internet worm by clicking the link to this video The First Internet Worm (Morris Worm) -
The foundation for the modern web is proposed while working at CERN. -
Berners-Lee launches the first website and web browser. -
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The first widely-used graphical browser, Mosaic, helps popularize the web. -
Companies like Amazon and eBay launch, and the NSF lifts restrictions on commercial use of the internet. To learn more about amazon and ebay launch use this link The National Science Foundation Clears the Way for Electronic Commerce -
Google launches with a revolutionary search algorithm, changing how we find information online. -
A new wave of mobile-first, image-centric social platforms begins. -
A free, collaborative encyclopedia that becomes a major source of information. To learn more about Wikipedia watch this video The birth of Wikipedia -
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Initially for college students, Facebook later revolutionizes social media. -
Online video sharing takes off and eventually transforms content consumption. -
The iPhone helps drive the mobile internet revolution, changing how people access the web. -
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Major websites protest U.S. anti-piracy bills, showing the power of online activism. -
Connected devices (smart homes, wearables) become mainstream. -
Generative AI becomes a major part of internet interaction and productivity. -
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Efforts continue to expand high-speed internet globally, combat misinformation, and regulate Big Tech and AI usage.