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USSR launches satellite Sputnik into space, allowing the possibility of global communications. It was only operational for 3 weeks, before its batteries died. After 2 silent months of orbiting, it fell back to the earth.
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Researchers at Bell lab invent the Modulator - Demodulate, and key it as MODEM.The device worked on the basis of converting digital signals to electrical (analog) and back, enabling communication between computers.
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In response to the Sputnik Launch, the United States of America create the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA).
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Working on his doctoral thesis, Leonard Kleinrock pioneers the packet-switching concept at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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A joint industry-government committee invents the American Standard Code for Information Exchange (ASCII), that allows machines for different manufactures to exchange information.
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Robert Taylor, director of ARPA's computer research program, initiated the ARPAnet Project, foundation of today's internet.
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Four nodes are linked through the construction of the physical Interface Message Processor (IMP) network at the following locations: University of California at Los Angeles, SRI (in Stanford), University of California at Santa Barbara, and University of Utah.
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Dr. David Clark implements Internet protocols for the Multics systems, the Xerox PARC ALTO and the IBM PC.
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The IMP network grew to comprise of 15 nodes (23 hostd).
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To send messages across a distributed network, Ray Tomlinson of BBN invents the email program, standardizing the "user@host" method.
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First Internet Address Registry, which later becomes Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), is created by Jon Postel. This administers IP addresses and other critical Internet functions.
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Development begins on what will eventually be called TCP/IP protocol by a group headed by Vint Cerf (Stanford) and Robert Kahn (DARPA). The new protocol will allow diverse computer networks to interconnect and communicate with each other.
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Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn publish "A Protocol for Packet Network Interconnection" which describes the design of a Transmission Control Program (TCP), and coins the term “Internet” for the first time.
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The ARPAnet changes its core networking protocols from Network Control Programs, to the TCP/IP protocol suite, marking the start of the modern Internet.
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Paul Mockapetris expands the Internet by inventing the Domain Name System (DNS).
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Secure communication over open networks, is pioneered by Dr. Stephen Kent.
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the world's first internet search engine, called Archie is developed by Alan Emtage, pioneering many techniques used by search engines today.
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Linux is introduced by Linus Torvalds , which becomes a leading supporter of Open Sources software.
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the World Wide Web is made available to public use for the first time on the internet.
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Jimmy Wales launches Wikipedia, with more than half a million Internet users.
