Andrew Ozazewski's History of the Internet Timeline

  • Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) is created

    Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) is created
    Found a way that computers can communicate with each other in case of nuclear attack
  • Computers at UCLA and Stanford connect for the first time

    Computers at UCLA and Stanford connect for the first time
    The first hosts on what would one day become the Internet.
  • An Arpanet network was established

    An Arpanet network was established
    Network between Harvard, MIT, and BBN (created the "interface messenger processor" computers used to connect to the network) was created in 1970.
  • E-mail developed

    E-mail developed
    Developed by Ray Tomlinson, who also decided to use the "@" symbol to separate user name from computer name.
  • Beginning of TCP/IP

    Beginning of TCP/IP
    Proposal published to link Arpa-esque networks together into an "inter-network" with no central control and would work around a transmission control protocol.
  • Release of first personal computers

    Release of first personal computers
    The MITS Altair 8800 and IMSAI 8080 were the first personal computers introduced to the public in 1975.
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  • First Personal Computer Modem is Invented

    First Personal Computer Modem is Invented
    Dennis Hayes and Dale Heatherington introduced the modem and initially sold it to computer hobbyists
  • First spam message is sent

    First spam message is sent
    The first unsolicited commercial email message (later known as spam) was sent out to 600 California Arpanet users by Gary Thuerk
  • Earliest form of multiplayer games (MUD) debuted

    Earliest form of multiplayer games (MUD) debuted
    Precursor to World of Warcraft and Second Life developed, called the MultiUser Dungeon (MUD). MUDs were entirely text-based virtual worlds, combining elements of role-playing games, interactive, fiction, and online chat.
  • First emoticon was used :-)

    First emoticon was used :-)
    Kevin MacKenzie invented the emoticon in 1979 with the proposed -), but it was Scott Fahlman 3 years later who proposed :-).
  • Domain name system [Domain Name Servers (DNS)] created

    Domain name system [Domain Name Servers (DNS)] created
    Made addresses on the Internet more accessible compared to previously-used numerical IP addresses. DNS servers allowed users to type in an easy-to-remember domain name that would be converted to its IP address automatically.
  • World Wide Web protocols finished

    World Wide Web protocols finished
    Tim Berners-Lee wrote the code for the World Wide Web along with the standards for HTML, HTTP, and URLs.
  • First web page created

    First web page created
    First web page created to explain what the World Wide Web was.
  • First photo is uploaded to the Internet

    First photo is uploaded to the Internet
    Tim Berners-Lee, who created the world wide web, uploaded this photo, taken by colleague Silvano de Gennaro, which became the first photo ever uploaded to the Internet.
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  • The first webcam is created

    The first webcam is created
    Scientists at Cambridge University create a prototype webcam, serving as the first ever webcam, that was set in front of a coffee pot so that viewers could see whether or not coffee was available in the building.
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  • First digitally downloadable song made available on the Internet

    First digitally downloadable song made available on the Internet
    Geffen Records jumped on the potential of the Internet, releasing Aerosmith's song "Head First" online as the first song to ever be available strictly via digital download as a marketing tactic.
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  • First online transaction is recorded

    First online transaction is recorded
    Although there are earlier examples of trades using the Internet as a medium, the first legitimate online transaction occurred when Dan Kohn sold a CD through "NetMarket".
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  • Online social media is created

    Online social media is created
    The first recognizable social media website, Six Degrees, was created in 1997, marking the beginning of the massive rise in popularity of the medium.
  • Google is created

    Google is created
    Sergey Brin and Larry Page founded the American search engine company Google Inc.
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  • Wikipedia released to public

    Wikipedia released to public
    The first and largest online encyclopedia with no central organization doing editing was created and launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.
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  • The Internet reaches 1 billion users

    The Internet reaches 1 billion users
    Sometime between November and December of 2005, the one-billionth Internet user worldwide went online.
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  • 50% of the world's population is an Internet user

    50% of the world's population is an Internet user
    Sometime between March 2017 to June 2017, the amount of worldwide Internet users grows from 3.74 billion to 3.89 billion, eclipsing 50% of the world's population.
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