At its core, the Internet is a physical infrastructure consisting of hundreds of thousands of miles of underwater cables, satellites, and fiber optics.
: Every device connected to the Internet has a unique numerical label called an IP address , allowing it to be identified and located across the network. Historical Origins
The Internet is often described as a "network of networks"—a massive global collection of interconnected systems that allows computers to communicate and share data instantly. How It Functions The Internet
The Internet began in the 1960s as a U.S. military project called .
: It was originally designed to be a resilient communication system that could survive a nuclear attack by having no single central hub. At its core, the Internet is a physical
The Internet has revolutionized nearly every aspect of human interaction: Technology: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
: While it started for government researchers, the official "birthday" of the modern Internet is considered to be January 1, 1983 , when it adopted standard networking protocols. It exploded into a global commercial network in the 1990s. Its Impact on Daily Life How It Functions The Internet began in the 1960s as a U
: Information doesn't travel as one whole piece; instead, it is broken down into small units called packets .