We need it. We love it. We canβt live without it. All hail the Internet!
The internet is one of the most important inventions in history, and we rely on it every day. It started as a military experiment in the 1960s, designed to connect computers. Today, it connects billions of people around the world, helping us communicate, learn, and share information.
People have always wanted to connect and exchange ideas, and the internet has made that possible like never before. Even for those who grew up without it, imagining a life without the internet is now almost impossible.
These 12 amazing facts about the internet explore its origins, evolution, and unexpected features that you may not be aware of. Check out this list of amazing internet facts and see just how much you really know about the Internet!
1. The Internet is Older than Most People Think
It all started in the early 1960s, when the U.S. Department of Defense developed ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). The goal was to create a secure communication system between research institutions and universities. The idea was to build a strong, reliable network that could function even during emergencies like war.
On October 29, 1969, the first message was sent from UCLA to the Stanford Research Institute. It was supposed to be “LOGIN,” but the system crashed after the first two letters, sending only “LO.” This small, unexpected moment marked the beginning of online communication as we know it.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, ARPANET expanded, connecting more institutions. The introduction of TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) in the early 1980s was a huge breakthrough, making it possible for different networks to work together smoothly. On January 1, 1983, ARPANET officially switched to TCP/IP, creating the foundation of the modern internet.
The internetβs evolution wasnβt driven by just one group. Academic institutions, private companies, and governments all played a role in shaping it into the global system we now use for everythingβcommunication, business, education, entertainment, and beyond.
2. The First Website
The first website at CERN β and in the world β was dedicated to the World Wide Web project itself and was hosted on Berners-Lee’s NeXT computer. In 2013, CERN launched a project to restore this first ever website:Β info.cern.ch. On 30 April 1993, CERN put the World Wide Web software in the public domain.
The first-ever website is still online today, offering a rare glimpse into the early days of the internet. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, and launched on August 6, 1991. At the time, Berners-Lee was working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and developed the web to help scientists easily share information across institutions and countries.
The original website, hosted at info.cern.ch, was a simple text page explaining the World Wide Web project. It contained instructions on creating web pages, using hypertext, and navigating the new digital system. The site also included links to other web servers, making it a useful guide for early users trying to understand this revolutionary technology.
Berners-Leeβs invention of the World Wide Web transformed the internet from a tool for scientists and military communication into a global network accessible to everyone. His creation laid the foundation for the digital world we now rely on, making information easier to share, access, and connect across borders.
Although web design has evolved a great deal since then, the original site still looks the same, with its austere design and simple HTML code. Going there today is like going back in time, highlighting how far the internet has comeβfrom text-only pages to the rich, multimedia-filled sites we browse daily.
3. The World Wide Web and the Internet are Two Different Things
Yes, the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) are Different but interconnected things. The ‘Internet’ is a global network of interconnected computer networks that allows information to be routed. The ‘World Wide Web’ (WWW) is a network of linked documents and other resources reachable via the Internet, using protocols like HTTP.
The “internet” is a global network that connects ‘computers’ and ‘devices’ around the world. It includes all the physical infrastructure like servers, routers, and cables, allowing data to travel across the planet.
The “World Wide Web” (or the web), on the other hand, is just one part of the internet. It consists of websites, pages, and multimedia content that we access through web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. The web works by using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to transfer data and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to display content.
The world wide web, or web for short, are the pages you see when you’re at a device and you’re online. But the internet is the network of connected computers that the web works on, as well as what emails and files travel across. Think of the internet as the roads that connect towns and cities together. The internet powers many services like email, file sharing, streaming, and gaming.
Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989 while working at Conseil EuropΓ©en pour la Recherche NuclΓ©aire (CERN), aiming to create a simple way to share information online. His work on HTTP, HTML, and the first web browser set the stage for the web’s massive growth in the 1990s.
Understanding what’s different between these two terms aids in our grasp of how the digital world operates. The World Wide Web is one of the numerous systems that use the internet to deliver content and services, while the internet itself serves as the foundation that permits worldwide connectivity.
4. There are Over 1.8 Billion Websites
As of 2024, there are an estimatedΒ 1.1 billionΒ websites on the internet, with only about 200 million considered active.Β This number continues to grow, with over 362 million domain name registrations made as of Q2 2024. While the total number of websites is vast, the majority of online traffic is concentrated on a select few, popular sites.Β
This number includes active sites used by individuals, businesses, and organizations, as well as parked domains and inactive pages that are registered but not currently in use. The surge in website creation started in the mid-1990s when browsers like Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer made it easier for users to access and build websites. By 1999, there were around 3 million websites, and that number has grown exponentially ever since.
While the majority of sites are continually updated, most of the rest is either unused domains or out-of-date sites. Still, the sheer number of active sites still bears witness to the sheer variety of internet content, ranging from personal weblogs and shopping sites to education portals and amusement sites.
The development of content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal has formed the core of the web’s expansion. These applications have made it easy to make and host a personal website for anyone, be they technical or not.
This immense number of websites underscores the internet’s role as a global information repository, facilitating communication, commerce, and creativity. It also highlights the challenges of navigating such a vast digital landscape, where search engines like Google play a crucial role in helping users find relevant information amidst the billions of web pages available.
5. Google Was Originally Called “Backrub”
Before it became the worldβs most powerful search engine, Google had a very different nameβBackrub.
In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, both researchers at Stanford University, developed Backrub as a system to analyze “back links” to determine a websiteβs importance. Their idea was simple: the more links pointing to a site, the more valuable and relevant it likely was.
Instead of ranking pages by keywords alone, their new search method focused on link structures, leading to the creation of the PageRank algorithm. This system measured the quality and quantity of links pointing to a website, providing more accurate search results than existing search engines at the time.
By 1997, Page and Brin decided the name Backrub wasnβt quite right for their ambitious project. They chose Google, inspired by the mathematical term “googol”, which represents the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.
AΒ googolΒ is theΒ large numberΒ 10100Β or ten to the power of oneΒ hundred. In decimal notation, it is written as theΒ digitΒ 1 followed by one hundredΒ zeros:Β 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. ItsΒ systematic nameΒ isΒ ten duotrigintillionΒ (short scale) orΒ ten sexdecilliardΒ (long scale). ItsΒ prime factorizationΒ is 2100Β ΓΒ 5100.
This new name reflected their mission to organize the vast amount of web information and make it accessible to everyone. In 1998, they officially launched Google Inc. from a friendβs garage in Menlo Park, California. Thanks to its superior algorithm and simple interface, Google quickly surpassed older search engines, attracting millions of users.
What started as a university experiment soon evolved into a tech giant, shaping the way we search, communicate, and interact online. Today, Google processes billions of searches per day and offers services like Gmail, Google Drive, and the Android operating system.
6. Internet is Run by Volunteer Organizations
The ‘internet’ is not owned or controlled by a single organization.
The Internet is not run by a single entity;Β it’s a distributed network of interconnected networks, each managed by its own organization or individual.Β The core functions like IP address allocation and the Domain Name System (DNS) are managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the technical standards are developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).Β
One of the strongest institutions that rule the internet is the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), founded in 1986. The IETF is engaged in creating and promoting voluntary standards, especially those relating to TCP/IP, the building block of internet communication. The organization consists of professionals, researchers, and industry experts working together to shape the infrastructure of the internet.
Another significant organization is the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) established by Tim Berners-Lee in 1994. The W3C develops web standards to facilitate the long-term growth of the World Wide Web. Its work includes web accessibility guidelines, HTML and CSS enhancements, and online security and privacy practices.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was founded in 1998 and plays a crucial role in managing IP addresses and domain names. ICANN makes sure all web addresses are unique and are accessible globally, and the reliability of internet connections is ensured.
In addition to these large organisations, other people also have a role in forming the internet. The Internet Society (ISOC), for example, is working towards fostering a dynamic, open internet with education, policy, and innovation.
Together, these groups maintain the decentralised, robust, and scalable nature of the internet. The volunteer networks preserve the unhindered operation of the cyberworld while maintaining the security and freedom of the internet for everyone, with the help of experts from a variety of professions.
7. Email Came before World Wide Web
Yes, Email came before the World Wide Web.Β The first email was sent in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson, while the World Wide Web was invented in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee.Β 18 years before the World Wide Web was invented.This means that email existed and was in use for nearly two decades before the World Wide Web became a widely adopted technology.Β
Email has been around long before the World Wide Web, making it one of the oldest forms of digital communication. It all started in 1971, when Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer working on ARPANET, sent the first-ever networked email. He introduced the β@β symbol, which is still used today to separate a userβs name from the computer or domain theyβre messaging.
Emails were merely text messages sent back then between mainframe computers, which were massive devices utilised by research institutes and universities. Notwithstanding their simplicity, they popularised the idea of asynchronous communication, which lets users transmit messages that can be viewed at a later time instead of expecting immediate responses. Long-distance information sharing was altered as a result.
By the 1980s, email evolved with the development of SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), POP (Post Office Protocol), and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol). These standards made email more reliable and user-friendly, helping create the modern email systems we rely on today.
The early 1990s saw the rise of the World Wide Web, which helped push email further into mainstream use. Services like Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail allowed people to access their inbox from any internet-connected computer, making email an essential part of personal and professional communication.
Globally, an estimatedΒ 376.4 billionΒ emails are sent and received per day.Β This figure is projected for 2025. In 2023, the number was 347.3 billion.Β This equates to approximately 2.4 billion emails sent every second.Β
Even with the growth of messaging and social media Email still play a vital role with billions of Emails sent daily.
8. Most Internet Traffic is Not Human
Yes,Β a significant portion of internet traffic is not generated by humans, but by automated programs called bots.Β In 2023, bots were responsible for nearly half (49.6%) of all internet traffic.Β While some bots are beneficial (e.g., search engine crawlers), a large portion are malicious, posing threats to businesses and individuals.Β
A huge part of internet traffic comes from automated bots, not human users. Bots are software programs designed to perform tasks automatically, such as indexing search results, collecting data, or running scripts. While some bots are helpful, others can be harmful, posing cybersecurity risks.
One of the most important types of bots is the search engine bot, also known as a web crawler. Platforms like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! use these bots to scan websites, organize content, and update their search results. Through these bots, users can quickly find relevant information onlineβwithout them, searching the web would be much slower and less effective.
Although bots improve internet functionality, many malicious bots are designed for hacking, spamming, or stealing data. That’s why cybersecurity measures are essential to protect websites from unwanted bot activity.
9. Internet Speed’s Increased Steadily
Yes, internet speeds have generally increased steadily over time.Β This trend isΒ driven by technological advancements and the increasing demand for faster connections.Β
In the 1990s, most users relied on modems that provided speeds of up to 56 Kbps (kilobits per second). This was enough for basic tasks like emails and simple browsing but struggled with larger files and video streaming.
The early 2000s saw a major shift with the arrival of broadband technology. Connections like DSL and cable internet boosted speeds to several Mbps (megabits per second), allowing for faster downloads, better streaming, and improved online experiences. As broadband expanded, the internet became more accessible, paving the way for services like video streaming and online gaming.
Recent advancements in fiber-optic technology have taken internet speeds to the next level. These cables use light signals to transmit data, offering gigabit speeds (1,000 Mbps) or even multi-gigabit connections in some areas. With fiber, users can stream ultra-HD videos, transfer large files quickly, and rely on seamless cloud computing.
The rise of 5G wireless technology promises to revolutionize connectivity even further. Capable of delivering speeds up to 10 Gbps (gigabits per second), 5G enables low-latency connections and higher capacity, supporting cutting-edge applications like virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
These internet speed improvements have transformed education, making online learning platforms more accessible and interactive. Telemedicine has also flourished, allowing doctors to consult patients remotely. Meanwhile, e-commerce benefits from faster shopping experiences and real-time customer support.
10. What is Deep Web and Dark Web?
The internet is much deeper than what most people see daily. Beyond the surface web, where we browse regular sites, thereβs the deep web and the dark webβtwo parts that are often misunderstood but essential to how the internet functions.
The Deep Web and Dark Web areΒ both parts of the internet that are not indexed by standard search engines, but they differ in their purpose and accessibility.Β The Deep Web is the vast portion of the internet containing content that requires authentication, like online banking or email, or is hidden from search engine crawlers.Β This includes password-protected sites, private databases, online banking platforms, email accounts, and subscription services.
This means password-protected sites, private databases, online banking platform, email accounts and subscriptionβservices. In other words, anything behind a paywall or paywall β informationβthat is not available to the public β essentially falls into the domain of the deep web. In fact, itβs farβbigger than the surface web and houses a wealth of secure and private data.
The deepβweb is not necessarily dangerous, despite its reputation for being mysterious. Itβs essential for safeguarding sensitive informationβsuch as medical records, academic research, and corporate communications. These spaces are secured and private, which is the reason they are a vital piece of our advanced world.
The Dark Web is a subset of the Deep Web that is designed for anonymity and is typically accessed through specialized browsers like Tor.Β
It was designed for anonymity, which is why it is often linked to illegal activities such as black markets, stolen data, and cybercrime. But the dark web also serves legitimate purposes.
Journalists, activists, and whistleblowers use the dark web to communicate securely and share sensitive information without fear of surveillance. Tools like SecureDrop allow people to safely leak important data to journalists. Additionally, individuals living under government censorship use dark web resources to access banned content and speak freely.
Although these parts of the web serve critical functions, they also come with serious risksβincluding exposure to illegal activities, scams, and cybersecurity threats.
11. How Old is the Internet?
The internet is 9110 days old today.
12. Weight of Internet
If the Internet were weighed, it would weigh about 2 ounces (50 grams). How does one measure the weight of the Internet? Physicist Russel Seitz measured the weight of multiple billions of electrons which make up the data that we send back and forth every day.
The internet is still developing at a never-before-seen rate, radically altering the way we work, live, and engage with the world. From its beginnings as a military project to its present position as a vital worldwide resource, the internet has continuously changed to accommodate societal demands.
These intriguing facts only scratch the surface of this enormous network’s complexity and dynamic nature. The internet’s impact on day-to-day living only grows as new technology and connectivity advancements occur. Its crucial importance in modern life is demonstrated by the fact that it makes remote work, online education, international communication, and quick access to information possible.
We can better comprehend the internet’s enormous influence and future innovation possibilities when we are aware of its history and dynamics.
