Three technologies, the internet, mobile phones and credit cards, have changed the modern world. They all started as small ideas or solutions to specific problems, but now have an impact on almost every aspect of life, from work and school to healthcare, government and personal connections. Together, they have transformed the way people communicate, shop and interact.
Internet: How A Military Project Became Everyday Life
The Internet has no single inventor. It developed over time, starting in the late 1960s in the United States as a military project during the Cold War. Scientists used it to share data and communicate securely. Today, it is central to almost every part of modern life.
The launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957 spurred the US to invest heavily in science and technology. Schools introduced more science courses, universities and companies received government grants and new agencies like NASA and ARPA were formed to develop rockets, weapons and computers.
Military experts worried that a Soviet attack could disable the country’s telephone network. In response, ARPA scientist JCR Licklider proposed an “intergalactic network” of computers that could communicate even if the phone system failed. Around the same time, British scientist Donald Davies developed packet switching, a method of sending data in small blocks along different routes, making networks less vulnerable. Without packet switching, the government’s network, by then called Arpanet, would have been just as exposed to attack as the telephone system.
On October 29, 1969, Arpanet sent its first message between UCLA and Stanford. The network started with just four computers but expanded. By the mid-1970s, computer scientist Vinton Cerf developed TCP/IP, a protocol allowing different networks to connect, creating the foundation of the modern internet.
In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee introduced the World Wide Web at CERN, turning the internet into a web of linked information accessible to anyone. In 1992, the Mosaic browser made the Web user-friendly, displaying text and images on the same page with clickable links. That year, commercial networks connected to the research internet, paving the way for e-commerce.
By the 2000s, companies such as Amazon and eBay dominated online retail. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram changed how people communicated and shared content.
By 2015, more people accessed the internet through smartphones than computers. In the early 2020s, advanced AI systems from companies like OpenAI, Google and Microsoft began to be rolled out to the public, shaping the next era of digital interaction.
Mobile Phones: “Bricks” To Personal Companion
The first call from a mobile phone was made on April 3, 1973, in New York City by Motorola engineer Marty Cooper, who called a rival at Bell Laboratories. The prototype he used was bulky and heavy, unlike today’s slim handsets. Eleven years later, the Motorola Dynatac 8000X went on sale for $3,995 (around Rs 3.61 lakh today), which was far beyond the reach of most people. The phone could only make calls, its battery took 10 hours to charge for 30 minutes of use, it had a 15cm antenna and weighed 790g, about four times that of an iPhone.
Early mobile phones were mainly for business users who needed to stay in contact and could afford the high cost. These first-generation devices, nicknamed “bricks,” were large and cumbersome.
The second generation (2G) in the 1990s brought smaller, more manageable phones and introduced text messaging, making mobiles more accessible to teenagers and everyday users.
By the late 1990s, phones included new features, such as games like Snake in 1997, cameras in 1999 and internet access starting with Nokia’s 9000 Communicator in 1996. The Communicator, which opened to reveal a keyboard and screen, was seen as revolutionary and even appeared in the 1997 film The Saint.
Since features such as apps, email and touchscreens arrived on many devices at different times, it is difficult to pinpoint the original smartphone. But it is widely believed that the IBM Simon (1994) was the first smartphone featuring a touchscreen, and functions such as calendar, email and fax. A full keyboard for email communication was added to the BlackBerry in 1999.
The Apple iPhone, which combined a touchscreen, internet connection and a music player into one device in 2007, marked the beginning of the smartphone as we know it today. The current mobile environment was made possible by the iPhone 3G, which introduced downloadable apps. Since then, mobile phones have advanced, letting users play games, watch live TV, stream movies and stay connected from anywhere in the world.
Credit Cards: How It Changed The Way We Pay
The first multipurpose credit card, the Diners Club Card, was launched in 1950. Its founder, Frank McNamara, came up with the idea after forgetting his wallet at a New York City restaurant.
Initially issued on cardboard, the card allowed businesspeople to pay at multiple restaurants without carrying cash. Cardholders paid an annual fee, while merchants paid Diners Club a percentage of each purchase. Interest was not charged. By the mid-1950s, the card expanded to hotels, stores and airlines, and it became accepted abroad.
Credit cards had earlier roots in the US at retail stores, gas stations and airlines. Stores offered charge accounts using metal tokens or plates and instalment plans were common for larger purchases.
In 1958, Bank of America launched the BankAmericard, the first credit card to charge interest on unpaid balances. Initially, customers misunderstood the system, leading to defaults, but the bank persisted. To expand nationally despite federal restrictions, Bank of America licensed the card to other banks in 1966 and spun off National BankAmericard Inc. in 1970. It became Visa in 1976.
Other banks followed suit. In 1966, the Interbank Card Association was formed to compete, eventually becoming MasterCard in the late 1970s. Early credit card use was limited, as processing was manual, slow and costly.
Notably, it wasn’t until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 that women gained equal access to credit cards. Before this, single women often needed a male co-signer, and married women required their husband’s approval, with the card issued in his name.
In conclusion, the internet, mobile phones and credit cards have changed the way the world communicates, trades and connects. Their history shows that technology is not just invented. With time, it is adapted and woven into everyday life.