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ARPANET

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A diagram showing how the first computers were connected in the early internet, called ARPANET, in 1977.

ARPANET

ARPANET was one of the very first computer networks. It helped start the Internet we use today. It was made in the United States by a group called the Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The idea for ARPANET came in the 1960s. People wanted computers far apart to share information. In 1969, the first four computers were connected. They were at UCLA, ARC, UCSB, and the University of Utah School of Computing. This was the beginning of a big change in how we send messages.

ARPANET used new ways to send data, like packet switching. This means breaking messages into small pieces and sending them on different paths. It made the network strong and fast. Over time, more computers joined, and new ways to talk to each other were made.

One fun fact is that the first e-mail was sent on ARPANET in 1971 by a man named Ray Tomlinson. Email became very popular and is still used today. ARPANET helped create many of the rules and ways we use the Internet now.

Even though ARPANET stopped in 1990, its ideas live on. It showed how computers could talk to each other across long distances, paving the way for the wonderful Internet we enjoy today.

Images

Historic moment showing the first demonstration of the internet in 1977, connecting different networks.
Historic image showing early internet technology from 1969 with computer equipment used to connect the first networks.
A sketch showing the early connections of the ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet, from December 1969.
A map showing the early connections of the ARPANET in 1973, the precursor to today's internet.
Historical document showing the development of ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet.
Historical logbook entry from the first ARPANET connection, showing the initials of Charles S. Kline, the first person to login to a remote host via the ARPANET.
An old computer from 1990 on display at a museum in Germany.

Related articles

Internet
United States
Advanced Research Projects Agency
UCLA
Augmentation Research Center
UCSB

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on ARPANET, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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