The Internet (Civ4)/Civilopedia

The Internet is a computer network linked by hard wire, telephony and satellite. These computers share the same language, allowing for the fast transfer of information. Anyone with a computer and a modem (or other hookup) can utilize the Internet to gather information, to broadcast news and opinions, or to shoot at other like-minded folks in virtual reality galleries. In its few years of existence the Internet has dramatically changed the way that information is gathered and transmitted, and the network's full potential cannot be guessed. 
The Internet was first conceived of in the early 1960s. At that time the discussion was purely theoretical, as the computers, the connections, and the common language did not yet exist. Given that it was the height of the Cold War, neither did the necessary international cooperation. But the idea had many supporters, especially in universities and research labs around the US, and by 1969 four computers located around the country were in communication with each other through ARPA-Net. 
By the mid-1980s, the core of the network was in place, the communications protocols had been determined, and the Internet was live. By the early 1990s the first Internet language (http) was written and the first browser was published. The World Wide Web was born. 
The Internet stands today as one of the few great projects constructed largely by individuals rather than by an organization such as a corporation, religion, or government. Various portions of the network were indeed created and funded by the US Department of Defense - but much of it came together organically, built in bits and pieces by professors, scientists and engineers, perhaps less for personal gain than because they thought the "information society" was an idea worth pursuing.