What Year Was the Internet Invented?

The Internet had its beginnings with the first ARPANET connection between two computers, which occurred on October 29, 1969. The data transmission technology used in this network was adapted for civilian use, and by the early 1980s, the Internet connected many different computer networks across the country.

The first transmission across the Internet was an attempt to log in from one ARPANET computer to another. However, the team was only able to type the letters L and O of login before the connection crashed.

While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment the ARPANET became the Internet, the term Internet was first used to describe the system of linked computer networks in RFC 675, Specification of Internet Transmission Control Program, in December of 1974.