The invisible web connecting every corner of our world!
The internet is like a giant invisible web that connects millions of computers all over the world. When you watch a video, send a message, or look something up, you are using the internet! It helps people learn, talk, and share with each other no matter how far apart they are.
🌐 How a tap reaches a far-away computer
Your tap zips through wires to a server, and the page comes right back.
🗺️ The story through time
Scroll down the wire — each moment connects to the next
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1969 — ARPANET — The First Network
A few universities in America connected their computers together for the very first time. The first message was supposed to say 'LOGIN' but the system crashed after just 'LO' — a very wobbly start!
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1983 — One Shared Language: TCP/IP
All the different computer networks finally agreed to use one shared language called TCP/IP so they could all understand each other. This is truly when 'the internet' was born!
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1989–1991 — The World Wide Web Is Born
A British scientist named Tim Berners-Lee, working at a place called CERN, invented websites and links — the World Wide Web. Now people could click from one page to another!
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1990s — Browsers and Search Engines
The first web browsers and search engines appeared, letting everyone explore the Web easily. Suddenly ordinary people everywhere could find information at the click of a button!
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2000s — Wi-Fi and Smartphones
Wi-Fi meant you no longer needed wires to connect, and smartphones put the internet right in your pocket. The whole world wide web was now just a tap away!
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Today — Cloud, Video Calls and a Connected World
Today the cloud saves our photos and files on the internet, and video calls let us see family on the other side of the world instantly. The internet connects every corner of the planet!
📷 See it for real
Real photos. Tap a card to see how it works.
A Data Center
This is a data center. Rows and rows of computers called servers keep websites, videos, and games ready for you day and night.
Photo: Victorgrigas · CC BY-SA 3.0
An Undersea Internet Cable
Look inside a real undersea cable! Cables like this lie deep on the ocean floor and carry the internet between countries.
Photo: Oona Räisänen ( User:Mysid ) · Public domain
The First Web Server
This black box is the very first web server. The whole World Wide Web started on this one computer!
Photo: User:Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
📚 Learn step by step
Learn what the internet is and how we use it every day.
The Internet
What exactly IS the internet?
Tap to find out 🔄The Internet
The internet is millions of computers all over the world connected together so they can talk to each other. It is like a giant invisible road system, but for information instead of cars. When you use it, your computer joins all those other computers!
💡 Did you know? Right now, more than 5 billion people around the world use the internet!
✨ Ask the AI TutorA Website
What is a website?
Tap to find out 🔄A Website
A website is like a page — or lots of pages — that someone has put on the internet for everyone to read and explore. Just like a book has pages full of words and pictures, a website has pages full of information. YouTube, Google, and your school's site are all websites!
💡 Did you know? There are over 1 billion websites on the internet today!
✨ Ask the AI TutorA Browser
What is a browser and why do I need it?
Tap to find out 🔄A Browser
A browser is a special app that lets you look at websites — it is your window to the whole web! Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are all browsers. You type an address into the browser and it fetches that website for you to see.
💡 Did you know? Google Chrome is the most popular browser in the world, used by more than half of all internet users!
✨ Ask the AI TutorA Link
What happens when I tap a link?
Tap to find out 🔄A Link
A link is like a magic door! When you tap or click it, it takes you straight to another page or website. Links are usually underlined or a different colour so you know where to tap. They are how we jump around the whole web!
💡 Did you know? Tim Berners-Lee invented links so that one page could point to any other page anywhere in the world!
✨ Ask the AI TutorWi-Fi
How does Wi-Fi work if there are no wires?
Tap to find out 🔄Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi sends the internet through the air using invisible radio waves, just like how a radio plays music without wires! A little box called a router at home or school sends these waves out. Your tablet or phone catches the waves and gets connected.
💡 Did you know? Wi-Fi signals can pass through walls — that is why you can use the internet in any room of your house!
✨ Ask the AI TutorKeep going
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