The Birthplace of the Internet

Casey Chan — This is 3420 Boelter Hall in UCLA. Looks cool and decidedly 1970s, right? Long manes, gnarly mustaches and vintage technology cabinets. What were they doing in there? Turns out, this is where the Internet was born.

Whoa, what? Yeah! The first Internet message was sent from a node of the ARPA network (a computer network commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense) in UCLA to Stanford on October 29, 1969. That ARPA network became what we now know as the Internet making that message the first use of the Internet. And that message was sent inside 3420 Boelter.

But it was long forgotten! Not until Brad Fidler, a history doctoral candidate, researched and investigated pictures did he realize that the "birthplace of the Internet" was a boring 'ol undergraduate classroom. Not anymore though! 3420 Boelter is being restored back to its 1969 roots to become Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site and Archive, a historical site. [3420 Boelter Hall via BoingBoing]