The Internet

Hello there. Can you see me? No. I am invisible. I am like a big, magic spiderweb that connects the whole world. My name is the Internet. Before I was here, it was very slow to send a message. A letter had to go on a truck or a plane. It took a long, long time. But I am a super-fast messenger. I can send a message in a blink. I help friends and family who live far away feel very close. I carry their happy hellos and their big smiles from one computer to another, zoom.

A long, long time ago, some very clever people had a big idea. These clever friends were called scientists. They thought, 'What if we could teach computers to talk to each other?'. So they worked very hard. They connected two big computers with a long cord. In 1969, one computer tried to say 'hello' to the other computer. It wanted to send the word 'LOGIN'. But it was a little shy. It only said 'LO' and then went to sleep. Boop. It was a funny start, wasn't it? But that little 'LO' was the first word I ever helped send. It was my birthday. After that, more and more computers wanted to join the chat. They all started talking, and I grew bigger and bigger and bigger, until I stretched all across the world.

Now, I have a very important job. I help you watch your favorite cartoons on a sunny day. I help you see Grandma and Grandpa on a screen, so you can wave hello. They can see your smile, and you can see theirs. I help you learn about big, stompy dinosaurs and twinkling, faraway stars. I am here to help everyone share happy songs, fun stories, and silly pictures. I connect the whole wide world in a giant, friendly hug. I make the big world feel like a small, cozy neighborhood where everyone can be friends.