The history of the Internet begins in Oct 4, 1957 with the launch of Spunik and the start of the Space Race. America’s response to the launch of Spunik was to pour money into the research and development of high tech projects and the establishment of the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA). ARPA developed the ARPANET, computer-to-computer communication through packet switching networks.

In 1969, the first “package switch” interface message processor allowed two computers to “talk” with each other. With this ability email was added in and dominated the traffic on the ARPANET. The addition of email created a dynamic social human network and showed the social potential of the Internet.

Over at Bell Laboratories, Dennis Richie created the UNIX, a user-friendly operating system. The system was licensed to the academic world. Nearly every university adopted Bell Telephone’s UNIX program. In 1979, UUCP was added to UNIX. It had the ability to send data from one machine to another automatically. The Unix Copy Program (UUCP) allowed links over phone lines. Computers began calling each other all over the country and the USERNET was developed and its capacity was the birth of the Internet.

USENET allows ordinary citizens to communicate with each other on computers. The network escaped the hands of ARPANET control. There was no longer any central control. The USERNET connected people with the edges of the network. USERNET created the idea that no on should control the Internet.

The power and reach of the Internet was realized when the Kremlin communicated via the Internet with the Reagan Administration. It was seen as a national threat and more importantly it showed that it was no longer an “American” network, but an “International” network.

As the Internet grew, the social aspect became more and more important. Through modems, bulletin boards the Internet