1980s and 1990s

By 1981 the ARPA network had 213 hosts (sites to which users could connect). A new host was added approximately every 20 days. In 1982 a common language called TCP/IP was invented which allowed all internet computers to communicate with each other and the network was first called an internet. In the 19802s many more people and businesses began to use computers. The internet began to be used commercially, as well as by governments and universities.
In 1991 the World Wide Web (www) was created. It combined words, pictures and sounds in a system that ordinary people could easily understand and use. By 1994 approximately 40 million people were connected to the internet. They could exchange information, sell goods, and work form any computer with a phone call. The rolling stones rock group even broadcast a concert over the internet. Schools started using the internet as an electronic library. By 1996 users in almost 150 countries around the world were connected to the internet