On October 29, 1969 the first messages was sent via ARPNET, the network that would later become the Internet. The message traveled over 400 miles from a UCLA lab to a lab at Stanford. The project was managed by Leonard Kleinrock, a professor at UCLA, and although he managed to send the first message ever, it was not a completely successful attempt. The message that was sent was supposed to be ‘login’ but only the first to letters were sent ‘L-O’ before the whole system crashed. Nevertheless, complete message or not, the first message sent over the internet was a monumental feat.
This simple message began a phenomenon that would change the direction that our world was headed in. The internet has enabled the spread of information and ideas to millions of more people than previously were effected without the internet. The internet has also enabled people to stay better connected by means of social net-working sites and email and other messaging services. The internet has truly revolutionized the world we live in, and it would be very hard to imagine what the world would be like without the internet.
Random Facts: How many hours a day does the average person the use the internet? Way too much (average is 13+hrs a week, teens spend 33 hours on average…). Finland recently has made it a legal right that all of it’s 5.2 million citizens have the right to access the internet!
National Geographic Article on First Internet Message
