Select the true statement about the history of the Internet.
The creation of ARPANET enabled U.S. defense intelligence agencies to predict the Soviet launch of Sputnik.
TCP/IP facilitates communication between networks running on different protocols.
ARPANET was developed and delivered by Microsoft in 1965.
The first four nodes of ARPANET included Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the Department of Defense.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
TCP/IP facilitates communication between networks running on different protocols.
Explanation (300+ words):
The true statement about the history of the Internet is:
“TCP/IP facilitates communication between networks running on different protocols.”
TCP/IP, which stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is the fundamental set of protocols that allows computers on different networks to communicate with one another, regardless of their internal architecture or underlying systems. It forms the foundation of the modern Internet. Developed in the 1970s by Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn, TCP/IP was officially adopted by ARPANET (the predecessor to the Internet) on January 1, 1983, a day now recognized as “flag day” in Internet history.
This protocol suite is significant because it allows interoperability—computers using different operating systems, hardware, and communication methods can still exchange information. TCP ensures data is broken into packets, sent reliably, and reassembled in the correct order. IP is responsible for addressing and routing the packets to ensure they reach the correct destination.
Let’s examine why the other statements are false:
- “The creation of ARPANET enabled U.S. defense intelligence agencies to predict the Soviet launch of Sputnik.”
This is historically inaccurate. Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, while ARPANET was conceived in the late 1960s and launched in 1969. Therefore, ARPANET did not exist at the time of Sputnik’s launch. - “ARPANET was developed and delivered by Microsoft in 1965.”
Microsoft did not exist until 1975, founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. ARPANET was developed under the direction of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) and implemented by research institutions—not Microsoft. - “The first four nodes of ARPANET included Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the Department of Defense.”
This is also incorrect. The first four nodes of ARPANET (in 1969) were:- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- Stanford Research Institute (SRI)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)
- University of Utah
Thus, TCP/IP’s role in cross-network communication is the only accurate statement.