Technology: Historic Inventions 1

– The Invention of the Internet –

“The development of the Internet stands as a monumental event in the timeline of technological evolution. Initially conceptualized in the late 1950s as a way to prevent loss of information in the event of a nuclear strike, it was the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) that set the groundwork for today’s Internet.

ARPA’s key contribution was ARPANET, the world’s first operational packet-switching network, a novel method of breaking up and sending data over a network. By 1969, ARPANET was established, connecting four major U.S. universities. This was a critical point, as it demonstrated the practicality of large-scale, networked computing.

In the subsequent years, ARPANET grew exponentially. By 1973, it had international connections, marking its transformation into a global phenomenon. However, it was in the 1990s, with the introduction of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee, that the Internet truly became accessible and ubiquitous in everyday life. The Internet’s evolution is a testament to human ingenuity, transforming the way we work, play, and communicate.”

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO words from the text for each answer.

The original idea behind the creation of the Internet was to avert the _________ of information in the scenario of a nuclear attack.
The foundation for the present-day Internet was laid by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, a subdivision of the _______ Department of Defense.
The first operational network that employed packet-switching methodology was ________, a significant innovation in the area of data transmission.
ARPANET connected four principal American ________, demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale, networked computing.
By 1973, ARPANET had expanded beyond national boundaries, marking its emergence as a _______ phenomenon.
With the advent of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, the Internet became an ________ and pervasive element of everyday existence.

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE word from the text for each answer.

The birth of the Internet was a momentous stride in the history of technology. Initially envisioned in the late 1950s to avert the ________ of data during a nuclear conflict, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) contributed substantially to its development. They birthed ARPANET, the world’s premier operational ________ network, effectively transmitting data in fragments. By 1969, four major U.S. ________ were interconnected by ARPANET, signifying the potential of extensive networked computing. Within a few years, ARPANET attained ________ connections, evolving into a global entity. However, it was the ________ of the World Wide Web in the 1990s that made the Internet an indelible part of human life.

Vocabulary Builder

Find the synonyms (words with the same or similar meaning) to these 9 words from the original passage.

Original Word	Variants Used
development	_________ / ____________
prevent	_____________________
loss	_____________________
information	_____________________
operational	_____________________
packet-switching	_____________________
universities	_____________________
international	_____________________
ubiquitous	_________ / ____________

Reveal answer (5 More Words)

Original Word	Variants Used
development	birth, stride
prevent	avert
loss	disappearance
information	data
operational	operational
packet-switching	packet-switching
universities	institutions
international	global
ubiquitous	indelible, pervasive