Mr. Chapman
History of the Internet
Information Processing 10
MODULE 5 – LESSON 2 – THE HISTORY OF THE INTERNET
Today the Internet is a worldwide phenomenon with no geographic borders. It connects people down the
street and across the world. It is critical to academic research and to the growing national and global
economy. It is said that in Canada, 99% of all school aged children have used or seen the Internet. That
is an incredible accomplishment since less than 10 years ago, however, hardly anyone even knew what
the Internet was. In fact, the birth of the Internet was probably one of the most profound technological
achievements of the 20th century, yet few people know much about its history or how it works.
The Internet was born as a result of the American government realizing that it
would be cheaper and more efficient for research programs and scientists if one
computer could contact, or “talk” to another, so that the user could tap into the
computing power of other machines besides his/her own. So a Department of
Defense program called the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) set
out to figure out a way to connect one computer to another. The project was
coined “ARPAnet” since the goal was to create a network of connections
among different computers.
MODULE 5 LESSON 2 ASSIGNMENT
!
Using For an up to date history of the Internet, use
your favorite search engine and search the terms
"Timeline of the Internet"
Browse through different sites to view the history of the internet and entire timeline. Do you see anything
of particular interest? Review the 1980s and see if you can find the first time the term cyberspace” was
used. Who coined the term "Information Superhighway?" Can you find another example of computer
network innovation not listed above?
What do you think of the Internet as a “global village?” Do you agree that a second-class citizenship could
grow as a result of some people not gaining access to the Internet?
"The Internet will go down in history as being one of the most profound changes of the 20th century." Do
you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?
Your job is to write, in essay form, the history of the internet (just the major highlights) and include the
answers to the above questions. DO NOT JUST COPY AND PASTE FROM THE INTERNET. THIS
ESSAY MUST BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Also include a bibliography of where you got your
information from.
WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED SAVE THIS ASSIGNMENT AS: _______’S (YOUR NAME) INFO 10 MOD
5 LESSON 2 ASSIGN