The Internet stands as one of America’s greatest contributions to world civilization in the 20th century. It transformed the world into a “global village,” allowing information and images from tens of thousands of miles away to be transmitted to anyone in seconds. The entire planet could be accessed virtually, making everything visible, searchable, fast, and comprehensive.

The United States was the first to adopt electronic networks. In the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Defense began using them. During the 1980s, American universities connected their networks. By the 1990s, the Internet became widely available for commercial and civilian use, quickly spreading to countries worldwide and connecting the globe in just two decades.

The Internet’s rapid global adoption was facilitated by its open, decentralized structure. It was neither privately owned nor monopolized, and it required no special approvals to connect. Anyone could join according to standard protocols, allowing immediate worldwide integration. All the cumbersome bureaucratic procedures of the past were eliminated, paving the way for seamless global communication.