The internet came with the information age and continues to thrive for business, social, science, entertainment, and other things. It’s literally at the tips of our fingers. However, it didn’t always start that way. Here are some things you may not have known about the internet.
It Started Out as a Military Project
Before memes, gifs, and other entertaining things, the internet was something very serious. It was created to thwart potential nuclear threats. Many were worried that a nuclear bomb would disrupt communications. A scientist named J.C.R. Licklider thought of the idea of a “Galactic Network” that would keep working even if large parts of the communication infrastructure were destroyed.
The Internet Just Consisted of 4 Computers in 1969
The beginning of the internet wasn’t that sophisticated compared to today’s technology. It’s crazy to think about this because over half of the world has some type of internet access.
Mobile Internet
Mobile internet is a common thing, but it wasn’t just 26 years ago. The Nokia 9000 Communicator was the first phone Internet-enabled and it launched in Finland in 1996. Of course, it was not cheap because the internet didn’t really become a mainstay until 1999-2000. It’s amazing to see how things have changed in just over 2 decades.
The Web Isn’t Static
The web has done a complete 180 in terms of how it’s used these days. In the 1990s, was more of a read-only, static page thing. However, Web 2.0 brought in more customization with mashups, blogs, and other web services. It’s interesting to see what the future will be with all of the apps and technology growing.
The World Wide Web and the Internet Are Two Different Things
Even though people use it more interchangeably these days, the World Wide Web is actually searching through websites. It was invented in 1991 and continues to be a mainstay with today’s internet. The internet is the umbrella involving computer networks and standardized protocols.
PageRank Is Named After Larry Page
Yup, the factor that helps you rank your webpage is actually named after Google co-founder Larry Page. Pretty interesting coincidence, right?