Maximum Security, Third Edition

Appendix B . Internet 101

IN THIS APPENDIX

• In the Beginning: 1962–1969

• UNIX Is Born: 1969–1973

• The Internet's Formative Years: 1972–1975

• Moving On: The '90s Internet

This appendix discusses the Internet's early history. If you already know the story, feel free to skip it.

In the Beginning: 1962–1969

Our setting is the early 1960s—1962, to be exact. Jack Kennedy was in the White House, and the Beatles had just recorded their first hit single ("Love Me Do"). Americans were enjoying an era of prosperity. Elsewhere, however, Communism was spreading, and with it came weapons of terrible destruction.

In anticipation of nuclear war, the United States Air Force charged a small group of re searchers with a formidable task: creating a communication network that ...