1969–1982 / NETWORKS TAKE SHAPE
The First
Connections.
In 1969, an experiment began linking distant computers. The first message was only two letters long — but it hinted at a much bigger world.
Two letters.
A new possibility.
On October 29, 1969, a team at UCLA tried to send the word “LOGIN” to a computer at the Stanford Research Institute over ARPANET. The remote system crashed after the first two characters reached it.
“LO” became the first message of a network that would help shape modern computing. The full login was successfully completed later that evening.
It wasn't a public internet, and the World Wide Web did not yet exist. This was a research network, built for connecting institutions and exploring new ways to share computing resources.
ARTIFACT / AN EXPANDING NETWORK
One link became
four places.
By the end of 1969, ARPANET connected four sites: UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah. What began with a single connection was becoming a small but functioning network.
Original illustrative graphic, not a reproduction of an archival network map.
More than
machines.
As the network grew, people began using it for communication, not just remote computing. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson developed an early network email system and popularized the use of the @ symbol in addresses.
Throughout the 1970s, different networks emerged, and researchers faced a new challenge: how could unlike networks communicate with one another?
The answer would help turn separate networks into a true “network of networks.” Our next chapter explores the common language that made that possible.
CHAPTER 02 COMPLETE
A network begins
to grow.
Continue to Chapter 03 — A Common Language.