The evolution of the internet

The origins of the Internet date back nearly 40 years, with the U.S. military's funding of a research network dubbed Arpanet in 1969. Since then, the Internet has undergone more than just a name change. The number of computers connected to the Internet has grown exponentially, while the number of users has risen from a handful of computer scientists to 1.5 billion consumers. The network's reach has expanded beyond the United States to every corner of the globe. But its popularity has a dark side, as it has evolved from a friendly research network to a hotbed of criminal activity including fraud and identity theft.The world's largest network of computer networks got its original name from the U.S. military arm that funded it: Arpanet was for the Advanced Research Projects Agency. Back in 1969 when Arpanet was created, it connected five sites: UCLA, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, the University of Utah and BBN. In 1983, the U.S. Defense Department spun-off MILNET*, which was the part of Arpanet that carried unclassified military communications. Arpanet was renamed the Internet in 1984, when it linked 1,000 hosts at university and corporate labs.

*MILNET was later re-named the Defense Data Network and finally NIPRNET, for Non-classified IP Router Network.The number of computers connected to the Internet has grown dramatically from the network's humble beginnings, when it connected four computers at university research labs. Today, the Internet links more than 440 million computers directly, and millions more have Internet access through private addressing schemes.