A Short History of the Internet

A short History of the Internet
The Information superhighway (worldwide digital data networks) is an apt name for today’s computer communication systems for many reasons. One is historical. The superhighway’s primary component, the Internet, is an outgrowth of the Cold War.
In the 1950s President Dwight Eisenhower ordered a system of high-speed roads built. He based his vision on the German highway system which had allowed the Nazis to move their armies so effectively during World War 2. With the new superhighways in place, no matter where an enemy attacked the United States, the military could respond effectively and rapidly.
In 1962 the Air Force wanted another “highway,” one that would effectively and rapidly move information instead of armies. The military wanted to maintain the ability to transfer information, even under enemy attack. The resulting system was the beginning of what we now call the Internet, or the Net, a global network of interconnected computers that communicate freely and share and exchange information. Before we delve into the details of this network of computers, we should first consider the origin of computers themselves.

Developing of the Computer
Computers began with counting. Fingers, sticks and stones made way for the first calculator, the abacus – a counting device which was first used by the Egyptians around 460 B.C..
The title “Father of the Computer” goes to Englishman Charles Babbage. Lack of money and unavailability of the necessary technology stymied his plans to build an Analytical Engine, a steam-driven computer. But in 1836 Babbage did produce designs for a “computer” that could conduct algebraic computations using stored memory and punch cards for input and output. His work provided inspiration for those who would follow.
Over the next 100 years a number of mechanical and electromechanical computers were attempted, some with success. But Colossus, developed by the British to break the German’s secret codes during...