[ih] Nit-picking an origin story

[John Day]

The NPL network already existed and had for awhile, a couple of years but I will have to go look at sources to be exact.

Of course, what this should say is the first messages exchanged on the ARPANET.

I am sure BBN tested it before they delivered it, but I don’t remember now what Hafner says about that.

Take care,
John

> On Aug 16, 2025, at 12:41, Dave Crocker via Internet-history <internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
> 
> My Facebook feed just delivered a tidbit from UCLA that begins:
> 
>   "In 1969, UCLA Professor Leonard Kleinrock directed the transmission
>   of the first message between two networked computers..."
> 
> I found myself wondering a bit about that characterization:
> 
> 1. Didn't BBN do some inter-host packet exchanges, when testing the
>   IMPs, before shipping them to UCLA and SRI?  Wouldn't that have
>   counted as the actual first?
> 2. There were other packet research projects, at the time, but I don't
>   remember the details of timing of other 'WAN' and 'LAN' project. 
>   1969 was early enough that it's entirely possible the others were
>   later, but I'd be interested in hearing the details.
> 
> I suspect the refinement of the UCLA statement would be:
> 
>   "In 1969, UCLA Professor Leonard Kleinrock directed the transmission
>   of the first message between two networked computers
> 
> -- 
> Dave Crocker
> 
> Brandenburg InternetWorking
> bbiw.net
> bluesky: @dcrocker.bsky.social
> mast: @dcrocker at mastodon.social
> -- 
> Internet-history mailing list
> Internet-history at elists.isoc.org
> https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-history
> -
> Unsubscribe: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/9b6ef0621638436ab0a9b23cb0668b0b?The%20list%20to%20be%20unsubscribed%20from=Internet-history