1962

J.C.R. Licklider of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology describes the interactions that could be enabled by a networked series of computers in a series of memos on what he calls the Galactic Network.

1967

The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) receives plans for a network to be called ARPANET.

1969

ARPANET, the network that would someday grow into the modern Internet, is commissioned.

1971

Ray Tomlinson, an engineer with the firm of Bolt Beranek & Newman that had been contracted by the Department of Defense, develops an e-mail program to send messages across a distributed computer network. The initial project was called SNDMSG, or "send message." In improving his e-mail program, Tomlinson was later responsible for adding the "@" sign, which communicated to the computer that the recipient was at another server.

1973

The first computer-to-computer chat takes place at the University of California Los Angeles.

1976

Queen Elizabeth II sends an e-mail.

1981

Two networks are created to facilitate research, the Computer Science Network, or CSNET, linking several major institutions of higher education and of which the UD is a major part, and the Because Its Time Network, or BITNET, a connection between the City University of New York and Yale University. At the time most universities were not doing Department of Defense research and so were not connected to ARPANET. These new networks helped introduce universities to network capabilities. David Farber, a UD professor who now teaches and conducts research at Carnegie Mellon University, was active in the CSNET project, which besides UD includes Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin and the RAND Corp.

UD becomes only the second university in the world to use an interactive computer program called ERDAS, for Earth Resources Data Analysis, which combines satellite images with data for such studies as predicting where prehistoric archaeological sites would most likely be found in the Delaware Coastal Plain.

1983

A gateway is established between CSNET and ARPANET.

1984

The Domain Name System, hailed as the backbone of the Internet in that it translates between domain names and IP addresses, is introduced. The system was conceived by David Mills, a UD professor of electrical and computer engineering and of computer and information sciences.

1986

The UD Library introduces DELCAT, which begins as an electronic card catalog and evolves into an online system with access to thousands of electronic journals

Work begins on the National Science Foundation Network, or NSFNet, which will enable more widespread network connections and quickly evolve into the modern Internet.

1988

A worm makes its way onto the Internet, affecting about 6,000 of the 60,000 hosts.

The first phase of NSFNet is deployed.

1989

MCI Mail becomes the first commercial e-mail carrier with a gateway to the Internet.

1990

UD acquires new UNIX systems, naming them for classical composers Brahms, Chopin, Bach, Ravel, Mozart, Grieg and Strauss.  

ARPANET no longer exists.

1991

Gopher, a system for organizing and displaying files on Internet servers, is released by University of Minnesota researchers and UD begins posting information on the World Wide Web.

1992

The new UD Student Services Building opens, consolidating services previously offered in scattered locations and providing computer terminals for students to check their financial aid, class schedules and account statements.

The European Organisation for Nuclear Research releases the World Wide Web, a system of Internet servers that support documents formatted in HyperText Markup Language, or HTML, providing for links to other documents, as well as graphics, audio and video files.

  The phrase "surfing the Internet" is coined.

  The UD administration begins using electronic forms in the budgeting process.

1993

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign releases Mosaic, the first readily available graphical web browser.

UD installs the latest in communications technology in residence halls, providing cable television, data and voice outlets.

Web traffic increases 341,634 percent during the year.

The U.S. executive branch goes online at www.whitehouse.gov

 1994

UD receives the national CAUSE Award for Excellence in Campus Computing for exemplary campus-wide network planning, management and accessibility, as well as effective use of the campus-wide network to enhance teaching, learning, research, administration and community service.

UD introduces the Electronic Community Citizenship Examination (ECCE) which students must pass before gaining access to the campus network.

UD faculty members are encouraged to maintain class rosters and grades online.

OCEANIC, an online data information system, is developed by the UD College of Marine Studies to assist oceanographers in an important study of the world's ocean circulation.

  UD installs cable television and data lines in key classrooms and launches its first voice mail system.

Electronic shopping begins to appear online.

1995

Surveys indicate that 75 percent of UD students now use e-mail.

CompuServe, America On Line and Prodigy begin to provide Internet access for subscribers.

Streaming audio technology is introduced.

UD begins using EZForms for journal vouchers and purchase requisitions.

1996

UD offers prospective students the opportunity to submit admission applications via the Internet.  

UD initiates an employee computer purchase program, encouraging faculty and staff in the acquisition and use of technology.

UD is among the 32 charter members of the Internet2 project, which is designed to develop advanced Internet applications and technologies.

1999

Napster file sharing operation begins, leading to widespread downloading and sharing of digital music files and later resulting in legal action.

The Melissa virus is unleashed on the Internet, and UD student Rishi Khan is credited with helping track down the culprit.

2000

Yahoo! Internet Life magazine ranks the UD No. 2, behind Carnegie Mellon University, in its list of America's Most Wired Colleges.

UD is honored for its colorful and informative online campus tour by CampusTours.com, which says the site sets a new standard by delivering a quality experience with an extensive array of options, including streaming video.

UD participates in the Internet2 Halloween virtual concert, with David Herman on the Jefferson Pipe Organ for a national online audience.

2001

UD and state officials dedicate the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, which undertakes leading edge research in the life sciences.

UD College of Marine Studies researchers team up with Amersham Biosciences for the first-ever DNA sequencing experiments conducted while at sea, the experiments coming during the Extreme 2001 deep sea expedition.

Sun Microsystems selects DBI as a center of excellence for its leadership in computational biology.

2002

UD introduces Code of the Web campaign to raise awareness of issues involving bandwidth abuse and copyright violations.

UD Library unveils a new web-based DELCAT catalog that includes links to electronic journals and cataloged Internet resources and provides new features such as online book renewal and new ways of searching.

  UD Public Relations launches the new online news site UDaily, which provides up-to-the-minute news and eventually replaces the printed UpDate publication.

2003

UD announces partnership with the state to use dark fiber to increase Internet speed and boost bandwidth.

UD research team led by Guang Gao, professor of electrical and computer engineering, partners with IBM on a national initiative to regain preeminence in supercomputing.

The Delaware Biotechnology Institute is named a Computerworld Honors Laureate for its life sciences virtual reality program, centered on DBI's advanced visualization studio.

The U.S. Geological Survey honors UD and state officials for developing the Delaware Data Mapping and Integration Laboratory, a pilot for a national map that uses Internet mapping service technology.