Bob Kahn, The Bread Truck, And The Internet's First Communion

The world's first internet transmission occurred on October 29, 1969. At least, that's what some people believe. Others say the more important moment arrived eight years later, when a repurposed delivery van equipped with a wireless transmitter sent a message from San Francisco to Norway and back to California by way of satellite.

The date was November 22, 1977, and no one seems to remember what message was sent - or even who was in the van. But they do remember how it was sent. This marked the first time the TCP/IP protocol - designed by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn (pictured above) and the same protocol that underpins today's internet - was used to send information across not one. not two, but three independent computer networks.