It was, in fact, largely an independent body that had the funds and mandate to do what it took to succeed. Eisenhower created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) with the explicit aim of regaining technological superiority in arms and space exploration.ĪRPA was funded by the US Department of Defense, hence the common perception that the internet was created by the Pentagon. The US government immediately sprang into action. The event caught US strategy and military planners completely off guard-they had no idea that their cold war adversary possessed this level of sophisticated communications and space navigation equipment. It was the year 1957 when the Soviet Union launched its satellite Sputnik. We have to go back to the moon race to understand how the internet first started to percolate in the minds of computer scientists and engineers. Let’s take a step back in time and see how the world wide web came to be. In this article, we explore the origins of the internet and the key players involved. The invention of the internet didn’t happen overnight, and like most major breakthroughs, it was developed as a sequence of expansions on an original idea. Most people over the age of 35, or even 30, will remember a time when the internet didn’t feature in everyday life. Although it now plays a significant role in our daily lives, the internet is a relatively new invention. It provides a virtually endless source of information and has completely changed the way we communicate. The internet is an incredible tool that has revolutionized the way we live, including how we work, learn, socialize, consume entertainment, shop, and more.

History of the internet