Pexels photo 2058128

Interactive Timeline

  • Period: to

    The Internet Timeline

  • First American commercial computer

    The very first American commercial computer, the UNIVAC 1, comes out
  • NPL Network

    The first computer network in the world to ever use packet switching
  • ARPANET

    The precursor to the internet, the ARPANET was only available to government and universities.
  • Email is invented

    Scientist Ray Tomlinson creates the e-mail, and is the one who decides the @ symbol will be used for it.
  • Project Gutenberg Ebooks launches.

    A free source of books online is launched, allowed people to upload and download books for free.
  • The term Internet is invented

    The term "internet" is invented, shorthand for "Internetwork"
  • ARPANET handed off to NSF

    The ARPANET is handed off to another branch of the government The National Science Foundation
  • First sending of spam

    The first spam is sent out, with 600 emails sent to people all over California via the ARPANET.
  • Usenet

    A connection is set up between two universities in Northern California involving more efficient packet switching.
  • Computer Science Network

    The National Science Foundation creates the Computer Science Network (CSNET), which allowed branches of government without high speed connections to connect via dial-up.
  • FTP invented

    The file transfer protocol, which lets users easily transfer files, is invented.
  • NSFNET

    The National Science Foundation brings a new standard of computing to the ARPANET, now known as the NSFNET, allowing all colleges and universities across the country to connect.
  • NASA Science Network

    NASA creates their own internet in order to communicated with other space scientists worldwide.
  • World Wide Web invented

    Computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web, a protocol that easily allows average people to use the new Internet.
  • First commercial internet service provider

    The first commercial internet service provider, "The World", opens to consumers for business.
  • First web server invented

    Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, also invents the first web server.
  • First internet browser

    The first internet browser of all time is invented by Tim Berners-Lee, called WorldWideWeb
  • First search engine

    The first search engine of all time, called Archie, is invented. It allows you to search through a website's directory.
  • NSFNet renamed

    As more countries pick up the technology behind it and start connecting, the NSFNet is renamed to the Internet.
  • .gov and .org begin

    In 1993, the government and the united nations started their own web pages and got their own special domains for it.