Internet

The internet connects billions of computers and devices all around the world. It lets you send messages, watch videos, play games, and find information about almost anything. The internet works by sending data through cables, wireless signals, and even satellites. It has changed the way people communicate, learn, and work.

How the Internet Works

When you look at a website, your computer sends a request through wires and cables to a server, which is a powerful computer that stores the website. The server sends the information back to your computer in tiny pieces called packets. The packets travel through the network and are put back together on your screen. This all happens in less than a second.

The History of the Internet

The internet started as a military project in the 1960s called ARPANET. It connected just four computers. In 1991, a scientist named Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, which made the internet easy for everyone to use. Since then, the internet has grown to connect billions of people around the globe.

Fun Facts

• About 5 billion people use the internet, which is more than half the world's population.
• Over 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
• About 95 percent of internet data travels through cables on the ocean floor, not through satellites.

Did You Know?

Undersea internet cables stretch over 550,000 miles across the ocean floor. Some are as deep as Mount Everest is tall. Sharks sometimes bite the cables, so companies now wrap them in special protective material. These thin cables carry almost all of the world's international internet traffic!