Learn About the History of the Internet
This educational resource, is an open source archive designed to share stories and materials related to the founding and expansion of the internet. We welcome your contributions.
History of the Internet is an open-source archive created and curated by Spencer Trask & Co. The internet has dramatically affected all of our lives, yet so much of the history of the internet is still unknown. As a result, we are documenting in our archive how the internet came to be and how it has expanded into the lightning-fast tool we know it today.
The History of the Internet is an educational resource, and we welcome any contributions you may have about the history of the internet.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary
Did you know that the first internet message was sent in 1969 at UCLA? To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this historic event, UCLA held an Internet50 seminar in 2019 about how the internet has changed the world since that first message was sent, and how experts believe it will continue to change and adapt to our needs.
Additional Resources
Learn about how the optical amplifier was first conceived and how the device allows us to send optical signals without needing to convert them. The invention of the optical amplifier directly led to the internet expansion of the 1990s.
You will also find information on wavelength division multiplexing, also known as WDM. WDM is a technology that is used in all sorts of communications, including metro, regional, national, intercontinental, and transoceanic communications networks around the globe.
We also have a historical timeline of the internet, which shows all of the important moments in internet history. Please also check out information about the early internet, including biographies about important figures in internet history.
We welcome your contributions as we continue to develop a resource that anyone can use to learn more about the history of the internet. If you have something you would like to contribute to our archive, please email us at info@internethistory.org or fill out our contact form.
Celebrating 50 Years of Internet History
On Oct. 29, 1969 Professor Lenonard Kleinrock and his team at UCLA sent the very first message over a network of computers. Hear from the world’s leading technology pioneers and industry experts who gathered at UCLA in 2019 to honor this historical moment and discuss the future aspirations of our connected world.
Optical
Amplifier
Learn about how the optical amplifier was conceived and how it became a foundation of the telecommunication backbone that underlies the bandwidth capacity of the global Internet.
Wavelength Division Multiplexing
A technology which multiplexes a number of optical carrier signals onto a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths of laser light.
Historical
Timeline
See the historical timeline of events from the beginning of the internet to today’s modern internet.