When was the Internet created?

The origin of the modern Internet can be traced to 1974, but several self-contained computer networks preceded this. The earliest was the United States ARPANET in 1963, which was followed by NPL in the United Kingdom, CYCLADES in France and others. These networks were merged to create the global Internet.

Throughout the 1970s and much of the 1980s, the Internet was only available in research and government institutions, as well as some universities. In 1981, the Computer Science Network began development of NSFNET, a network of servers located around the United States. NSFNET was finished in 1986, allowing for the use of the Internet in homes, schools and other places without a dedicated server.