There is no doubt that the internet has given us the power to stay at home and still stay connected to people around the world without exposing ourselves to the evil outside. This article is a tribute to those true heroes who brought us the 'Internet'.
I was curious as to how this technology came into being and dwelved myself into history. Join me in my journey as I uncover the ideas and concepts towards the powerful base that mankind had created, and is serving us greatly at these difficult times.
A century ago , in 1900 Nikola Tesla had envisioned the idea of a world wide connected system. In it he thought of storing up valuable books and media that people could search up whenever they wanted, wherever they are.
Even before in 1898, Mark Twain had written a book about how all the phones in the world would be connected and how it had affected the world in a book titled "From the London Times of 1904".
People had joked at the idea of such a system which at the time did not even have the technology to exist let alone test. Only during the 1960s did an actual practical system come into place. MIT's JCR Licklider had spoken and researched about networking between computers. It started out as an idea of "packet switching" which would be used to share the time between computers. This was the ultimate base for the internet we know today.
J.C.R. Licklider
At the end of the 1960, the US Defense Department had created a network known as the ARPANET which used the same concept of packet switching to connect multiple computers within their department.
It is also interesting to note that only during late 1969 was this network able to send it's first message. The message was short "LOGIN" but it still managed to crash the network and only the first two letters 'L' and 'O' managed to be received at the other end. Years of testing and development was put in. People began to realize the power of such a network. It was claimed as the birthday of the Internet !
But researchers didn't stop there, they wanted this technology to be more useful, more efficient. In 1983, TCP/IP system was now used by ARPANET, and now multiple networks were assembled. This became the first form of the internet. In 1990 Tim Berners-Lee had invented the World Wide Web which was revolutionary.
Tim Berners-Lee
After 4 decades the Internet has become the backbone of mankind. Not a day goes by where we don't rely on this beautiful technology.
Whether it is to keep in touch with our loved ones or to keep our businesses running, or to order those groceries safely without leaving your home, the Internet is there, up and running. Delivering every bit of data to the right spot. And we have all these researchers and inventors to thank for, who worked day and night to bring to life the concept they had dreamed about.
Imagine our world without the Internet right now, would we remain sane?