Networking History Timeline

▶ 1961 — Packet Switching Invented Kleinrock · Baran · Davies

Animation showing how packet switching works — Packet switching breaks data into small packets, which are routed independently across a network and reassembled at the destination.

The theoretical foundations for a more robust and efficient data network were established independently by Leonard Kleinrock (MIT), Paul Baran (RAND), and Donald Davies (NPL).

Core idea: Break data into small blocks, or "packets," that can travel independently over any available circuit to the destination.
Impact: This method is more resilient than circuit-switching (used in phone networks) and uses network capacity more efficiently. It's the fundamental basis for all modern data communication.

▶ 1969 — ARPANET is born

BBN IMP used on the ARPANET — The BBN Interface Message Processor (IMP) was the first packet-switching node, a precursor to the modern router.

The first operational packet-switched network, funded by the US Department of Defense, went live. The first message was sent between UCLA and SRI, proving the concept in practice.

▶ 1970–1983 — Core Network Protocols Emerge

This era saw the development of foundational protocols that still power the internet today.

▶ Ethernet — Local Area Networking

An RJ45 Ethernet connector — The 8P8C connector, commonly known as RJ45, used for twisted-pair Ethernet, became the standard for wired local area networks.

Originally developed at Xerox PARC, Ethernet (standardized as IEEE 802.3) became the dominant technology for connecting computers in the same building or campus (LANs). Radia Perlman's Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) was critical for preventing loops in switched Ethernet networks.

▶ TCP/IP — The Language of the Internet

Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn's 1974 paper, “A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication,” outlined the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which formed the basis of the TCP/IP suite. This standardized how different networks could interconnect, creating a true "internetwork." ARPANET officially switched to TCP/IP on January 1, 1983.

▶ DNS — The Internet's Phonebook

Invented by Paul Mockapetris, the Domain Name System (DNS) replaced the cumbersome HOSTS.TXT file with a scalable, distributed naming system that translates human-readable domain names (like `google.com`) into machine-readable IP addresses.

▶ 1984 — OSI Reference Model (ISO 7498-1)

Seven-layer OSI model diagram — The seven layers of the OSI model provide a conceptual framework for understanding network functions from the physical cable to the end-user application.

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model was published by the ISO. While the TCP/IP protocol suite became the practical standard, the seven-layer OSI model remains an essential pedagogical framework for teaching and understanding network architecture.

▶ 1990s — The Web Goes Public

▶ 1990 — The World Wide Web

The NeXT computer used by Tim Berners-Lee as the first web server — This NeXT computer at CERN was the world's first web server. The label reads: "This machine is a server. DO NOT POWER IT DOWN!!"

At CERN, Tim Berners-Lee developed HTTP, HTML, and the first web browser, bringing the concept of hypertext to the internet and creating the World Wide Web. This made the internet accessible to a non-technical audience and drove its mass adoption.

▶ 1997 — Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)

A classic Linksys WRT54G Wi-Fi router — Early consumer Wi-Fi routers, like the iconic Linksys WRT54G, brought wireless networking into homes and small businesses.

The first version of the IEEE 802.11 standard was released, establishing the protocol for wireless local area networking (WLAN). The subsequent 802.11b standard (1999) offered higher speeds and was widely adopted, catalyzing the mainstream success of Wi-Fi.

▶2000s — Application Drivers

The late 90s and early 2000s saw the rise of applications and services that made the internet indispensable for commerce, information, and communication.

An early Google office with server racks — Google's PageRank algorithm revolutionized search, making it possible to effectively navigate the rapidly expanding web.

E-commerce: Amazon and eBay pioneered online retail.
Search: Google's PageRank algorithm made the web navigable.
Social & Video: The rise of social media (Facebook, Twitter) and video streaming (YouTube, Netflix) transformed communication and entertainment.

▶ 2006 — The Cloud Computing Era Begins

Data center server racks — Hyperscale data centers provide the on-demand compute, storage, and networking resources that power modern cloud services.

Amazon Web Services launched EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) and S3 (Simple Storage Service), popularizing the on-demand, pay-as-you-go model of infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This paradigm shift allowed companies to build and scale applications without investing in their own physical hardware.

▶ 2007 — The Smartphone Revolution

Original iPhone 1st generation — The first iPhone integrated a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough internet communicator into one device.

The launch of the first iPhone marked a turning point for the internet. Its intuitive multi-touch interface and capable web browser made mobile computing mainstream, accelerating the demand for wireless data and cloud-based services accessible from anywhere.

▶ 2010s — The Edge & High-Speed Access

Focus shifted to delivering content faster and connecting a growing number of devices at the "edge" of the network.

FTTx schematic — Fiber to the x (FTTH, FTTB, etc.) architectures brought high-speed fiber optic connections closer to the end user.

Starlink dish — LEO satellite constellations like Starlink began offering high-speed internet to rural and underserved areas.

Access Networks: The transition from dial-up and DSL to high-speed cable and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH).
Mobile Networks: The rollout of 4G/LTE and later 5G enabled high-quality video streaming and new mobile applications.
Content Delivery: CDNs, IoT devices, and Big Data analytics drove the need for more intelligent and distributed network architectures.
Internet of Things (IoT): The proliferation of network-connected sensors, smart devices, and wearables added billions of new endpoints to the internet.

▶ 2020 — Global Pandemic Stress Test

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a massive, unplanned shift to remote work, education, and social life. The internet's infrastructure was put to the test, successfully scaling to meet unprecedented demand for real-time video conferencing, collaboration tools, and VPN access.

▶ Ongoing — AI, SDN, and Security

The internet continues to evolve with three major trends shaping its future.

Rows of servers in racks — The massive build-out of GPU-powered data centers is required to train and serve generative AI models.

OpenFlow architecture diagram — Software-Defined Networking (SDN) separates the control plane from the data plane, making networks more programmable and agile.

Generative AI: AI/ML models are increasingly delivered as networked services, driving demand for specialized data center hardware and high-bandwidth, low-latency interconnects.
Programmable Networks: Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and technologies like OpenFlow enable centralized, automated control over network resources.
Security: As threats become more sophisticated, security models are shifting towards Zero Trust architectures and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge).

Image sources are hot-linked from Wikimedia Commons “Special:FilePath” or other direct links to fetch the raw media files.