4a3dc316_key_figures_ARPANET

• Paul Baran for his work at RAND on distributed networks as an alternative to the extant centralised/de-centralised phone networks.

• Donald Davies at the UK Physical Laboratory for developing ideas on #packet-switching, similar to but derived independently of Baran’s work.

• Bob Kahn as the principle designer of the ARPANET, who with Vint Cerf, wrote the TCP/IP protocols. Became director of the Information Processing Techniques Office within ARPA/DARPA.

• Vint Cerf was head of the International Networking Group and worked on the Network Control Protocol (the first protocol for packet switching using the IMPs). Later joined up with Kahn on TCP/IP and the network of packet-switching networks (early internet).