The Internet: The Invention Of The Internet

1606 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact on society OF THE INTERNET

Clay Humphrey
Ms. Hamilton
English 11 AP Prep
23 May 2014
The Invention of the Internet
The internet is by far the most advanced movement in technology the world has ever seen. The capability of moving information – be it via text, audio, video, or some combination thereof – has been our greatest asset over the past 45 years. Since the establishment of the first cross-computer link, things have gone nowhere but up.
In the late 1950’s, the Soviet Union launched the first manmade satellite into orbit. Sputnik, as it was known, did not really do anything. It was a small, ball-shaped hunk of metal that floated without direction through space. Regardless, the US was frightened by this launch. The Soviets had been focusing their efforts and working hard, and many Americans were afraid this would win them the Cold War. The US reacted quickly, forming two new government agencies. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which is quite well known, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), which is less heard of ("The Invention of the Internet.").
Shortly after the Sputnik Launch, a man named J.C.R Licklider envisioned what he called a “Galactic Network”. He imagined global connectivity of computers through which all people could quickly and easily access data from any other computer in the world – a shockingly accurate depiction of the internet of today (Leiner). He was concerned that the US’s current communication standard of the telephone was too vulnerable, and could easily be wiped by a missile or two. However, Licklider was not the first to connect computers in a network. Shortly after hearing about the possibility of computer connectivity, Lawrence G. Roberts connected two computers on opposite sides of th...

... middle of paper ...

...ut current. Internet communities keep things up to date.
A misconception that many have, though, is that the Internet is the World Wide Web. These are different things. The web is what most people think of as the internet – social media, video sharing, and forums. The internet is the combined network of networks of networks in the World. The web is home to all websites, whereas the internet is home to all networks. Regardless of people’s misunderstanding of what the internet is, the World Wide Web would not have been possible without it.
The internet has allowed for the expansion of all things, informative or otherwise. And it has gotten to where it is today over the span of only fifty-or-so years. There is nowhere to go but up, and there is no time like now to go there. The internet will still be just as remarkable in the next fifty years. Probably even more so.

Show More
Related

  • Sputnik's Effects

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    These rivalries would become clear when two countries competed in the space race, a competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union concerning achievements in the field of space exploration. The Soviet’s took the early lead as they put the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 established a sense of fear in the American public, resulting in the creation of NASA in the late 1950’s. This opened the door for space exploration today and for future generations. After World War II, the Cold War created tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States leading to extreme national pride and competition, culminating in the space race which began with the launch of Sputnik 1.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Sputnik Crisis

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Following the conclusion of the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union made it a priority to outdo each other in every possible facet from arsenals of missiles to international alliances and spheres of influences. Yet when the Soviets launched Sputnik on October 4th, 1957, the world changed forever. The first manmade object was fired into space, and it appeared that American technology and science had fallen behind. Yet, the public feared that not only were they now technologically inferior to the Soviets, but also deduced that if a satellite could be launched into space, a nuclear missile could just as likely reach the mainland United States. Less than a month later, the Soviets pushed the bounds of technology yet again by

    Read More

  • Unit 33 P3 Case Study

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    The World Wide Web and the internet is not the same thing, and they are often confused with being the one and same. However, the internet existed long before the www (World Wide Web). The internet refers to the massive network of computers stretching all over the world. The word internet also found its origin through this, the word comes from the two words interconnected and network. Though we can all with each other through internet, all the computers are not connected to the one and same mega computer. For each network there are one or several computers that hold the information that is needed to access all the information. This arrangement is known as the client-server architecture.

    Read More

  • Space Race: A Reflection of the Cold War Rivalry

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    The cold war by the late 1950s had weaved into the everyday life of society for both countries. The announcement from the US that they will launch a satellite into orbit was challenged by the Soviets. On October 4th 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. This was the world’s first artificial satellite and man-made object to be in earths orbit. The launch was unexpected to the US, having caught them off guard. As a result Sputnik began to raise fears amongst the public, fearing the possible event of a nuclear attack, due to previous cold war

    Read More

  • Sputnik Essay

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the launch of Sputnik in 1957 the U.S. became aware of the growing threat to National Security and Intelligence. In February 1958, by order of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA), a division of the Department of Defense (DoD) was established. Then on February 7, 1958 DoD Directive 5105.15 was signed (Darpa web site, 2014). Its primary purpose was to maintain U.S technological superiority over potential adversaries and to develop new technology for the United States military (Mallia, 2013). With ARPAs increased responsibilities and fast pace environment the agency need a better way to stay connected and share “packets” of information. The agency started to experiment with inter-office connections. In late 1969 those efforts paid off and the first “Advanced Research Projects ...

    Read More

  • The Space Race

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Soviets took a lead by launching the first successful satellite into space. On October 4, 1957 the Soviets launched the first successful satellite into orbit. It was called Sputnik I and it successfully entered Earth’s orbit. This first success started the Space Age. The Soviets successful launch shocked the whole world, giving the Soviet Union the respect for putting the first man-made object into outer space. The Americans successfully launched their first satellite four months after Sputnik I, called the Explorer I. The US would have had the first satellite in orbit if they were allowed to use military rockets from the beginning. But, Eisenhower was worried he would be called a warmonger if he used military rockets for launching a satellite into orbit. He told the sci...

    Read More

  • Sputnik Research Paper

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    The parties had been competing to see who had the most advanced technologies for atleast a decade. The United States had been spying on the USSR with their U2 spy planes throughout the 50s and observed that they were making great technological advances and hired three to four times as many Soviet scientists as there were American. The soviets launched Sputnik in October of 57 which gave birth to the “Crisis of Confidence” of Sputnik (PBS). Americans feared what the Soviets could do with their satellite orbiting and functional. This spurred the United States to get their technology that they have been working on to orbit. This rushed mentality created by American media and the red scare led the Vanguard TV3 rocket to an arguably premature

    Read More

  • The History and Future of the Internet

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    The internet was created to test new networking technologies developed to eventually aid the military. The Arpanet, advanced research projects agency network, became operational in 1968 after it was conceived by Leanard Roberts (Watrall, T101, 2/2). Ever since the Arpanet began in 1968, it grew exponentially in the number of connected users. Traffic and host population became too big for the network to maintain, due to the killer application known as email created in 1972. The outcry for a better way sparked the development of the NSFNet. The National Science Foundation Network replaced Arpanet, and ultimately had many positive effects. This early division of the internet spread its netw...

    Read More

  • Is the Internet a New Medium?

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    The history of the internet shows that the internet is not a new medium. The internet was initially created in the 1960's to as a way for the United States to stay connected in case of a nuclear fallout due to the possible consequences of the Cold War. F...

    Read More

  • how the internet has changed society

    1999 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion, the Internet has built up our society, but it could also tear it down with a major Internet black out. The Internet offers great opportunities for technological advancement. It has created a new way of personal, social, and business interactions. I believe the Internet was one of the best creations of time and I cannot wait to see what is in store for the future of the Internet and its relationship with human kind.

    Read More

  • The Internet´s Impact in Our Lives

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the development of the Internet in late 1980s, communication has changed enormously. The Internet has altered the lives of people in the world in a way that was never imagined before. As little as a decade ago, if someone tried to explain the Internet and World Wide Web, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to understand. Computers were just beginning to become popular and few individuals realized the capacity of one PC, let alone the power of a network of electronic technology. By linking together computers, users could remotely access others on the network, share information, and send electronic mail as easily as pushing a button. Millions of people with shared interests, exchange information and build communities through Web sites, email and instant-messaging software.

    Read More

  • The Internet: A Technological Revolution

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    The internet is a total of medium¢s which are connected between them with channels of communication. The internet is actually an internet after it connects smaller networks of many countries. The internet rouses the computer and the world of the communications like nothing else before. The invention of the computer, of the telephone, of the telegraph etc, place the stage of this unprecedented completion of faculties. The internet becomes right away a world capability radio broadcast, a mechanism for the distribution of information and a means for the cooperation and the interaction between the individuals and their computers, being indifferent to the geographic place. In 1958 the American ministry of defence created a department called "Advanced Research Projects Agency" – ARPA. Its goal was to create new technologies. In 1968 they created the ARPAnet, a network of computers. For 20 years the internet was a network with precise and enormous in volume computers.

    Read More

  • The History Of The Internet

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The Internet enables communication and transmission of data between computers at different locations. The Internet is a computer application that connects tens of thousands of interconnected computer networks that include 1.7 million host computers around the world. The basis of connecting all these computers together is by the use of ordinary telephone wires. Users are then directly joined to other computer users at there own will for a small connection fee per month. The connection conveniently includes unlimited access to over a million web sites twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. There are many reasons why the Internet is important these reasons include: The net adapts to damage and error, data travels at 2/3 the speed of light on copper and fiber, the internet provides the same functionality to everyone, the net is the fastest growing technology ever, the net promotes freedom of speech, the net is digital, and can correct errors. Connecting to the Internet cost the taxpayer little or nothing, since each node was independent, and had to handle its own financing and its own technical requirements.

    Read More

  • The Internet: The Greatest Invention Ever

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    This project was originally conducted under the Advanced Research Projects Agency to counteract the USSR’s launch of the Sputnik. After the creation it had been called the Arpanet, and would be used specifically for government networks until the early 90’s. In 1990 the World Wide Web had been created as an online public network for everyday civilians to use.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of the Internet

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    So who was the genius behind the information superhighway, you ask? Well let’s take a step back to the sixties, a decade when Cold War tension caused nationwide fear of nuclear warfare. Early in the decade, two groups of researchers, privately owned RAND Corporation (America’s leading nuclear war think-tank) and federal agency ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency), grappled with a bizarre strategic mystery: in the event of nuclear war, how could political and military officials communicate successfully? It was obvious that a network, linking cities and military bases, would be necessary. But the advent of the atomic bomb made switches, wiring, and command posts for this network highly vulnerable. A “nuclear-safe” network would need to operate with missing links and without central authority.

    Read More

More about The Internet: The Invention Of The Internet

Open Document