A Brief History of Technology
A History Research Project
by Ethan Z. Ngui, Year 8, Jesselton International School.
The Internet
We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.
- Stephen Hawking
The Internet is a vast network that connects devices from all over the world. Using the Internet, people can share information and communicate from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection, no matter the range.
How does the internet work?
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Internet works through a series of networks that connect devices around the world through telephone lines. Users are provided access to the Internet by Internet service providers. The widespread use of mobile broadband and Wi-Fi in the 21st century has allowed this connection to be wireless.
How it all began?
1960s
The history of internet begins in 1962 when MIT computer scientist J.C.R. Licklider came up with the idea for a global computer network.
1970s
In 1973, Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf collaborated and the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), a technology that links multiple networks together was born.
1980s
Dial-up phone lines, email communications between multiple nations, and the Local Area Network (LAN) were a few of the important breakthroughs during the 80s. To manage the increasing number of users on the internet, the first domain is registered in 1985: symbolics.com, a domain belonging to a computer manufacturer.
1990s
According to Thomas Jefferson University, Tim Berners-Lee and his colleagues at CERN develop hypertext markup language (HTML) and the uniform resource locator (URL), giving birth to the first incarnation of the World Wide Web. A watershed year for the internet comes in 1995: Microsoft launches Windows 95; Amazon, Yahoo and eBay all launch; Internet Explorer launches; and Java is created, allowing for animation on websites and creating a new flurry of internet activity. In 1996, Congress passes the Communications Decency Act in an effort to combat the growing amount of objectionable material on the internet. John Perry Barlow responds with an essay, A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. Google is founded in 1998. In 1999, the music and video piracy controversy intensifies with the launch of Napster.
2000s
Google dominated the search engine industry. This decade also sees the rise and proliferation of Wi-Fi, wireless internet communication, as well as mobile internet devices like smartphones.
The Future of Internet
Since its conception, the Internet has been evolving in a rapid pace. From where it is going, it is going to bring more changes to how human live our lives in the future.
Vinton Cerf
Born on June 23, 1943 (age 77 years), New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Dr. Vinton E. Cerf was a man responsible for discovering and identifying new technologies and applications on the internet. Widely known as “The father of the internet,” Cerf was the Co-designer with Robert Kahn of TCP/IP Protocols and the basic structure of the internet. He received many awards, and held a dozen honorary degrees.
Robert Kahn
Born: December 23, 1938 (age 82 years), Brooklyn, New York, United States
Dr. Robert (Bob) E. Kahn was the man who created DARPA's internet program and is the co-inventor of TCP/IP protocols, and was the one who conceived the idea of an open-structure network. Dr Kahn also coined the term National Information Infrastructure in the mid-19’s that later became widely known as the Information Super Highway. Dr. Kahn also obtained many awards, most significantly, the 2003 Digital ID world award for the Digital Object Architecture as a significant contribution (technology, policy or social) to the digital identity industry.