The Internet, Then and Now.

Essay by Anonymous UserUniversity, Bachelor'sA, January 1996

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Introduction

Today, the Internet has become one of the most popular ways to do business, send letters, search for information and even date. Its popularity has exploded with citizens of the world, both young and old. Between cities or nations, roughly everyone is 'online' or knows what the Internet is. Today 78 countries have full Internet access connections, and 146 countries can exchange e-mail. ( IBC 1996) Every 30 minutes, a new network signs on to the Internet. No one can say precisely how many people are using the Internet today, but there are estimated to be more than three million host computers with as many as 60 million users around the world. The number of users is growing by 15 percent per month. (IBC 1996) But where did the Internet come from and what is it, is the frequently asked question by it's user's.

Along with most technological advances in the world, the Internet was born out from a military idea.

The Rand corporation, which in the late 1950s was the United States (US) number one cold war think-tank, began to tackle the inevitable problem of constant communications during and after a nuclear strike (Diamond & Bates 1996). Soon after, the concept of this network intrigued the US Department of Defense (DOD) to ensure constant communications among leaders during a nuclear holocaust. In 1969, the DOD petitioned the National Science Foundation (NSF) to come up with an answer.

This paper will show the timeline of the Internet from the its earliest origins, through the Personal Computer(PC) revolution, to the early 90s when it became used for commercial purposes. It will cover the events in the decade that led up to the conception of the Internet. It will also consider the people, institutions, and companies involved in the building, of...