TheInternetwastheresultofsomevisionarythinkingbypeopleintheearly1960swhosawgreatpotentialvalueinallowingcomputerstoshareinformationonresearchanddevelopmentinscientificandmilitaryfields.J.C.R.LickliderofMIT,firstproposedaglobalnetworkofcomputersin1962,andmovedovertotheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(DARPA)inlate1962toheadtheworktodevelopit.LeonardKleinrockofMITandlaterUCLAdevelopedthetheoryofpacketswitching,whichwastoformthebasisofInternetconnections.LawrenceRobertsofMITconnectedaMassachusettscomputerwithaCaliforniacomputerin1965overdial-uptelephonelines.Itshowedthefeasibilityofwideareanetworking,butalsoshowedthatthetelephoneline'scircuitswitchingwasinadequate.Kleinrock'spacketswitchingtheorywasconfirmed.RobertsmovedovertoDARPAin1966anddevelopedhisplanforARPANET.ThesevisionariesandmanymoreleftunnamedherearetherealfoundersoftheInternet.

　　TheInternet,thenknownasARPANET,wasbroughtonlinein1969underacontractletbytherenamedAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(ARPA)whichinitiallyconnectedfourmajorcomputersatuniversitiesinthesouthwesternUS(UCLA,StanfordResearchInstitute,UCSB,andtheUniversityofUtah).ThecontractwascarriedoutbyBBNofCambridge,MAunderBobKahnandwentonlineinDecember1969.ByJune1970,MIT,Harvard,BBN,andSystemsDevelopmentCorp(SDC)inSantaMonica,Cal.wereadded.ByJanuary1971,Stanford,MIT'sLincolnLabs,Carnegie-Mellon,andCase-WesternReserveUwereadded.Inmonthstocome,NASA/Ames,Mitre,Burroughs,RAND,andtheUofIllinoispluggedin.Afterthat,therewerefartoomanytokeeplistinghere.

　　TheInternetwasdesignedinparttoprovideacommunicationsnetworkthatwouldworkevenifsomeofthesitesweredestroyedbynuclearattack.Ifthemostdirectroutewasnotavailable,routerswoulddirecttrafficaroundthenetworkviaalternateroutes.

　　TheearlyInternetwasusedbycomputerexperts,engineers,scientists,andlibrarians.Therewasnothingfriendlyaboutit.Therewerenohomeorofficepersonalcomputersinthosedays,andanyonewhousedit,whetheracomputerprofessionaloranengineerorscientistorlibrarian,hadtolearntouseaverycomplexsystem.

　　TheInternetmaturedinthe70'sasaresultoftheTCP/IParchitecturefirstproposedbyBobKahnatBBNandfurtherdevelopedbyKahnandVintCerfatStanfordandothersthroughoutthe70's.ItwasadoptedbytheDefenseDepartmentin1980replacingtheearlierNetworkControlProtocol(NCP)anduniversallyadoptedby1983.

　　TheUnixtoUnixCopyProtocol(UUCP)wasinventedin1978atBellLabs.Usenetwasstartedin1979basedonUUCP.Newsgroups,whicharediscussiongroupsfocusingonatopic,followed,providingameansofexchanginginformationthroughouttheworld.WhileUsenetisnotconsideredaspartoftheInternet,sinceitdoesnotsharetheuseofTCP/IP,itlinkedunixsystemsaroundtheworld,andmanyInternetsitestookadvantageoftheavailabilityofnewsgroups.Itwasasignificantpartofthecommunitybuildingthattookplaceonthenetworks.

　　Similarly,BITNET(BecauseIt'sTimeNetwork)connectedIBMmainframesaroundtheeducationalcommunityandtheworldtoprovidemailservicesbeginningin1981.Listservsoftwarewasdevelopedforthisnetworkandlaterothers.GatewaysweredevelopedtoconnectBITN