Imagining the Internet - A History and Forecast

Imagining the Internet's Quick Look at the Early History of the Internet President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) after the Soviet launch of Sputnik I in 1957. Eisenhower believed in the great value of science, and formed ARPA in 1958 in a quest for "the scientific improvement" of U.S. defense. This project employed, at one time or another, some of the finest engineers and scientists of the late 20th century. The early emphasis was on missile-defense systems and the detection of nuclear bomb tests. It wasn't until 1962, when J.C.R. Licklider arrived on the management team, that ARPA began investigating the idea of networked computers.