BETA
Chapter 1
Harnessing electricity and light
Chapter 2
Revolutionizing how we travel
Chapter 3
The communication revolution
Chapter 4
Navigating the digital frontier
YOUR GOAL
Master of Great American inventions
Ch 4 · Navigating the digital frontier
sloane Match patent drawings to their modern versions to discover how American inventions changed the world.
sloane ARPANET Digital Frontier
In the US, ARPANET took hold! (Oh-oh-oh!) Packet switching, stories told! (Yeah!) It built the network, strong and true! (Oh-oh-oh!) The internet, for me and you!
sloane The adoption of the TCP/IP protocol standardized how different networks communicate, creating the modern global internet.
sloane The Apple II personal computer brought user-friendly color graphics and keyboards into homes, sparking the PC revolution.
Fun Fact
GPS accuracy: The US military originally degraded GPS signals for civilians, but President Bill Clinton ended this in 2000, instantly boosting civilian accuracy.
Glossary
computer mouse (noun)
A hand-controlled electronic device that is moved across a flat surface to direct the cursor on a computer screen. Douglas Engelbart designed the first wooden prototype at the Stanford Research Institute in 1964.
A hand-controlled electronic device that is moved across a flat surface to direct the cursor on a computer screen. Douglas Engelbart designed the first wooden prototype at the Stanford Research Institute in 1964.
Quiz
Which 1977 computer, designed by Steve Wozniak, was one of the first highly successful mass-produced personal computers?
Quiz
What was the name of the world's first touchscreen smartphone, released by IBM in 1994?
Quiz
What was the name of the early computer network established by the US Department of Defense in 1969 that preceded the Internet?
Quiz
How many active satellites are required at minimum to complete the basic Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation?
Quiz
In what year did Apple release the first-generation iPhone, transforming the global smartphone market?
Quiz
In what year did the US Department of Defense launch the project that would become the Global Positioning System (GPS)?
Quiz
Which protocol, co-designed by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn in 1983, serves as the fundamental language of the Internet?