Who invented the internet?
Al Gore famously told reporters a decade ago, "During my service in the United States Congress I took the initiative in creating the internet." He continues to be ridiculed for that statement.
Some credit British physicist Tim Berners-Lee, who combined hypertext, transmission control protocols, and domain names to create the World Wide Web.
A pair of engineers many say laid the foundations for the internet, Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf, displayed a major lack of hubris by claiming that no one person or group was responsible for the internet's rise.
But now, a plaque unveiled in Virginia on Tuesday will settle the dispute, once and for all. The internet was invented in Arlington.
The Arlingtion County Board said the new plaque, which will be on display at 1400 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn, "will honor the creators of the forerunner of what we know today as the internet and the World Wide Web."
The blog ARLnow has the text of the plaque:
The ARPANET, a project of the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense, developed the technology that became the foundation for the internet at this site from 1970 to 1975. Originally intended to support military needs, ARPANET technology was soon applied to civilian uses, allowing information to be rapidly and widely available. The internet, and services such as e-mail, e-commerce and the World Wide Web, continues to grow as the under-lying technologies evolve. The innovations inspired by the ARPANET have provided great benefits for society.
ERECTED IN 2011 BY ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA
