The Birth of the Internet

The Birth of the Internet

• The internet is one of the most significant inventions of the 21st century, influencing almost every aspect of our lives.
• Its origins can be traced back to the Cold War era, when the US and USSR were locked in a fierce competition for technological supremacy.
• In response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the first satellite, the US launched ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in the early 1960s.
• ARPANET was designed to be a robust network, able to withstand attacks and maintain communication even if certain nodes failed.

Parallel Developments

• Several other nations were also developing their own packet-switching networks.
• The UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) proposed a packet-switching network in 1965.
• Michigan Educational Research Information Triad (MERIT) network, funded by the State of Michigan and the National Science Foundation (NSF), was established in 1966.
• France's CYCLADES, a packet-switching network, was launched in 1973.

The TCP/IP Protocol Suite

• The development of ARPANET led to the need for standardized protocols for communication.
• In 1978, the TCP/IP protocol suite was developed and adopted by ARPANET in 1983.

Network Integration and Expansion

• NSF developed the Computer Science Network (CSNET) in 1981 and connected it to ARPANET using the TCP/IP protocol suite. This integration made the network more accessible to both researchers and the private sector.
• NSFNET was initially supported by NSF with a speed of 56 kbit/s.
• In 1988, the speed was upgraded to 1.5 Mbit/s with the involvement of Merit Network, IBM, MCA, and the state of Michigan.

Commercial Interest & Growth of ISPs

• Corporations recognized the potential of the internet and became involved in its development.
• By the late 1980s, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) emerged to provide backbone services for network traffic.

NSFNET Upgrade and Decommissioning

• NSFNET was expanded and upgraded to 45 Mbit/s by 1991.
• In 1995, NSFNET was decommissioned to promote commercial traffic on the Internet.

Expansion of the Internet

• More universities and research centers around the globe connected to the network throughout the 1990s.

This quiz explores the origins of the internet, tracing its development from the Cold War era to its evolution into a global network. Learn about key milestones such as ARPANET and parallel developments in other nations that contributed to the internet's creation.