Internet explained to kids

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and file sharing. The origins of the Internet date back to research commissioned by the United States federal government in the 1960s to build robust, fault-tolerant communication with computer networks. The primary precursor network, the ARPANET, initially served as a backbone for interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the 1980s. The funding of the National Science Foundation Network as a successor to the ARPANET was approved in 1986. Commercial Internet service providers (ISPs) began to emerge in the late 1980s. The ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990. The Internet was commercialized in the early 1990s with the help of private sector funding and the commercialization of the Netscape Navigator web browser. The World Wide Web was introduced in 1991. The Web grew rapidly during the mid-to-late 1990s and became an important part of everyday life for billions of people by the early 21st century. A nearly ubiquitous presence in developed countries, the Internet has revolutionized communications, business, and entertainment, and has become a fixture of modern life. In October 1974, a team led by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn published a paper entitled "A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication" that laid out the technical details of what would become the Internet Protocol (IP). In December 1974, the researchers met to discuss their findings and their next steps. Cerf recalls that "We knew we had something. The question was, What do we do next? We could commercialize it, we could do it as a government research project, or we could try to build a global network." The team decided to pursue the latter option. The Internet has transformed our lives in countless ways. It has given us unprecedented access to information and knowledge, and it has connected us with people all over the world. It has changed the way we work, play, and communicate. It has made the world a smaller and more connected place.