Computer networks are essential to modern life, but they started small. The idea of linking computers together began in the 1960s. Before this time, computers were large, singular machines that could not talk to each other. Researchers realized that if computers could share information and resources, their power would be multiplied. This need led to the creation of the first major network.
The true beginning of the internet as we know it was ARPANET in 1969, created by a U.S. government agency. ARPANET initially connected only a few universities and research labs. Its goal was to allow scientists to communicate and share data easily across long distances. This early network introduced a vital concept: packet switching. Instead of sending a whole message in one large stream, packet switching breaks data into small pieces, or "packets," which can travel different routes and be reassembled at the destination. This made the network reliable even if one part failed.
In the 1970s and 1980s, two important protocols were developed: TCP/IP. These protocols are like the official language or rules that all computers must follow to communicate on a network. TCP/IP allowed many different types of networks to connect, creating a true "network of networks," which we eventually started calling the Internet.
The final major change came in the early 1990s with the invention of the World Wide Web (WWW). The WWW made the Internet easy to use by adding web pages, links, and browsers. This change took the complex technology out of the research labs and brought it into homes and businesses everywhere, finally connecting people all over the planet.
