The Internet!

     The internet is potentially the most useful piece of technology available today. However, it was not always around for people to be able to learn the answer to any question in a heartbeat. On the first day of 1983, the internet as we know it today was created by Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn. It was originally designed as a secret way of communication between scientists during the Cold War, and as time went on, engineers realized how great of a tool it could be if available to everyone in the public. The internet now is used for quick and easy research, communication across the world, and entertainment. 

     The World Wide Web is the collection of all webpages accessible by the public. Known more commonly as the Web, it was created in 1989 by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee. It was originally used as a system for managing and organizing documents. Over time, people realized it could be used for much more, as there are now websites for things such as public forums, media entertainment, and instant communication. The World Wide Web is used every day nearly all over the world and helps us to continue to advance our technology. 

     The pages on the World Wide Web are utilized through the internet. They are slightly different, and a good way to imagine it is as follows: "Think of the internet as the roads that connect towns and cities together. The World Wide Web contains the things you see on the roads like houses and shops" (BBC). They work together closely, and the web could not exist without the internet, so they are not exactly the same thing but very similar. 

     The first website was available on August 6, 1991. It was a source of information regarding the World Wide Web, and was created by Tim Barners-Lee. It is still up today, most likely for historical effect, because now anyone can look up the World Wide Web and find out what it is using thousands of websites besides this one. The first website ever can be found at http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html. 

     Hedy Lamarr is the brain behind the idea for Wifi. She came up with an idea for a way for different technological items to communicate and connect with each other. She was an Australian actress with a knack for inventing. There is a song written about her by Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp, cleverly named "This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr." Johnny Depp found her story very relatable, as they were both rushed into fame and then experienced backlash for being themselves. Lamarr was looked over as an inventor because she was seen as nothing more than a beautiful woman, whose job it should have been to entertain men, nothing more. Depp wanted to pay tribute to her for all of her talents, as the world as we know it today would be completely different without Lamarr's contributions to society. 

     Bluetooth is a system wherein devices can connect to each other wirelessly in order to exchange data and information. It was invented in 1994 by Jaap Haartsen, but he cannot be credited for the name. Jim Kardach, an engineer that helped create Bluetooth, suggested the name, which is a direct translation of the nickname of a former medieval king. His reasoning was that this king united several lands under his rule (and also had a dead, discolored tooth), which is essentially what Bluetooth was created to do in the modern age of technology. The logo takes this reference a step forward, as it is made up of the Roman symbols for H and B, the initials of the king. The name and logo of Bluetooth have a much deeper meaning than many realize. 

     The origins of Wifi go all the way back to the 1940s, when Hedy Lamarr shared her idea for an advanced communication system. Decades later, this idea was fully developed by a team of engineers working under Vic Hayes ("The Father of Wifi), but this would not have been possible without the under-appreciated genius of Lamarr. Wifi was originally known as "IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence." Naturally, it needed a catchier name. Interbrand, a brand-consulting firm, came up with a list of ten names, one of which was The Wifi Alliance. Over time, it became shortened to what is largely known around the world as Wifi. 

     

Sources: 

https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_02.phtml#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20this%2C%20other,to%20communicate%20with%20each%20other. 

https://sites.cs.ucsb.edu/~almeroth/classes/F04.176A/homework1_good_papers/Alaa-Gharbawi.html#:~:text=The%20Internet%20was%20first%20invented,for%20computers%20in%20the%201960s. 

https://www.jabra.com/blog/why-is-bluetooth-called-bluetooth/#:~:text=Intel%20engineer%20Jim%20Kardach%20was,ruled%20over%20Denmark%20and%20Norway.

https://www.thoughtco.com/who-invented-wifi-1992663. 

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/hedy-lamarr. 

https://www.cablefree.net/wireless-technology/history-of-wifi-technology/. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/flashback-this-is-what-the-first-website-ever-looked-like-2011-6. 

https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/World-Wide-Web. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47523993#:~:text=The%20world%20wide%20web%2C%20or,connect%20towns%20and%20cities%20together. 

https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/johnny-depp-new-song-this-is-song-miss-hedy-lamarr-lyrics-explained-actor-announces-album-jeff-beck.