The Internet is a network of computers that offers information to people. Its roots are deeply immersed in the past. Organized communications can be traced back to ancient days starting around 700-800 BC with homing pigeons that carried messages for the Greeks. This was an inexpensive way of transmitting messages, but many of the birds were shot down and the messages were read and destroyed. The Inquisition would slow major improvements for communication due to religious fervor such as what happened to Galileo, and the Inquisition that would last for hundreds of years. Even with these stumbling blocks, people would still conceive ideas and continue on their journeys of inventions.The following pages will give insight into the origins of the Internet.

It was in the early 1800's that the first real scientific breakthrough, as simple as we think of it today, would lead to the start of communication revolution. Hans C. Oersted discovers that a wire carrying an electric current deflected a magnetic needle, would lead to the creation of the telegraph. Samuel Morse would later use a magnetic telegraph and the Morse code to keep the communication movement on track.

The transatlantic cable that was started in 1858 and it was laid between Ireland and Canada. It was a failure because the voltage was increased to help with the signal and the cable melted. The concept of cable continued, and today, all around the world cables are the main stay of telecommunications.

A man named Giovanni Caselli received a patent in 1863 for what he called the "pantelegraph" meaning universal telegraph. This type of machine could be considered the first fax machine. One of the chief supporters of Caselli was Emperor Napoleon the Third. The pantelegraph was used in Russia by the royal houses, but never was used by the general public. Everyone using this machine discontinued its use in about 1870 because of the Franco-Prussian War.

Undoubtedly, in 1876 the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell was one of the most significant accomplishments of modern time. The telephone exchange provides the essential link to most of the Internet connections today. Modems provide audio, video, and digital conversations through computers over the telephone networks. This technology is the lifeline for the ThinkQuest team.

Professor Joseph John Thomson of experimental physics at Cambridge won the 1906 Nobel Prize in physics for his study of the conduction of electricity through gases. Thomson discovered (1897) the electron and studied its charge and mass. He developed the mathematical theory of heat and electricity and worked with positive rays (positive ion beams), which led to a means of separating atoms and molecules according to their atomic weights. His long tenure as director of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge helped make it a leading center for atomic research. This research led others to make the first usable tubes to refine the inventions of Thomas Edison.

The American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1915 made the first call made across country using the radio. In 1927, AT&T. makes the first commercial transatlantic telephone call to London using a two-way radio. This is the beginning of long distance calling and a major step forward in shrinking the world for communication.

By the early 1930's, communications were growing by leaps and bounds. Problems in handling the growth were beginning to show. In 1934 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is created to regulate interstate and foreign communications, including various kinds of radio, television, wire, cable television and satellite transmissions. This independent United States agency can grant, revoke, renew and modify broadcasting licenses and assign broadcast frequencies.

The development of digital computers is rooted in the Abacus (moveable beads for doing math) and early mechanical calculating devices. Charles Babbage is credited with the design of the first modern computer, the analytical engine, during the 1830s. John Atanassoff constructed the first semielectronic digital-computing device in 1939. The first fully automatic calculator was the Mark I, or Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, begun in 1939 at Harvard by Howard Aiken, while the first all-purpose electronic digital computer, ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator), which used thousands of vacuum tubes, was completed in 1946 at the Univ. of Pennsylvania. UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) became (1951) the first computer to handle both numeric and alphabetic data with equal facility; this was the first commercially available computer.

Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) was an American electrical engineer and physicist. While professor and dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1923-38), Bush designed the differential analyzer, an early computer. During World War II, he led the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development, directing such programs as the development of the first atomic bomb. He wrote about a machine called Memex, that could store information. This was one of the first ideas for what we now call memory for computers.

In 1956 the first hard disk drive (computer disk storage system) was created at IBM. It was called the 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control). This device could go to any location on the disk and read the information. This gave easy access to information stored. The computer did not stop and read all information before going to the specific item called for.

The year 1957 saw the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial earth Satellite. This was the start of space age communications. The United States decided that something had to be done to answer the launch. ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) was formed.The Defense Department administered this U. S. Government agency. It has been crucial in developing several important technologies, especially military computers. It funds much of the U.S.'s Artificial Intelligence research, as well as microelectronics, materials science, and behavioral science projects.

In the year 1962 Paul Baran of the Rand Corportation developed the Packet-switching network. The Internet as we know it today needs these packets to transfer information. The needs for security within the military and companies were urgent. This packet system can take many different routes to reach to reach its target. In case of emergencies such as war, natural disaster or sabotage, this information system will still work and send help or sound the alarm.

1969 is the year of the Internet. The ARPA is assigned to look into networking or bringing all the information to a point where the computer can easily access it and pass it along. ARPA is now called ARPAnet. There are four nodes, or hosts that were being used to test the Internet.

Electronic Mail or e-mail program to send messages across the network in 1971 is started. This is still the best way to communicate on the web for most people. Usually a little flag pops up with music or sounds to let the receiver of the mail know to look. The creative names used by people for addresses are limitless.

Raphael Finkel at Stanford began the Jargon File in 1975. The revisions of jargon-1, which was the first name of the Jargon files were all unnumbered and may be altogether contemplated `Version 1'. Raphael Finkel dropped out of active participation of the Jargon project. In 1983 The Hackers Dictionary was made, one of the editors was Raphael Finkel. Hacking is the use of a computer with the intention of cracking into the database of another computer or server to disrupt or change files and documents.

In 1979 the first MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) program was written. The MUD programs are role playing games and multi player games which are played through a network. Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw created the first MUD program.

Credit: Mathieu

Over the ensuing years, many innovations to these ground breaking devices have made the world wide web the most used information gathering place. The setting up of Internet providers (places that connect you to the Internet) and the many different services such as modem speed (access speed to Internet), amount of time you can spend on the Internet are package deals with a price tag.

The Internet has massive amount of information, articles, pictures, books and individual home pages where people make sites about themselves, or families. Many companies advertise their products on the Internet. People can even order many items from live fish to food, shoes, or make reservations for hotels and planes.