by Soloman Samuel

Created on: January 18, 2009

"I took the initiative in creating the Internet." Al Gore

Did Al Gore "create" the internet? In a word, NO. Does former Vice President Gore deserve any credit in the internet's advancement? Probably.

Gore made this boastful claim to CNN's Wolf Blitzer while running his campaign for the presidency. Many think the quote is taken out of context. How can one confuse the statement other than Gore's proclamation that he "took the initiative in creating the internet" as opposed to his more truthful actions of furthering an already existing technology?

Did Gore have any hand in its creation? Did his support as a congressman and later as a senator advance the technology? No and yes. But let's be clear, he did not invent the internet, he did not create it either. It can be said he advanced it.

The concept of the internet can be traced as far back as the late 1950's. Several institutions credit themselves with the present day internet existence including the CERN, MIT and Harvard. While CERN scientists, specifically Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, created the "World Wide Web", it is not the inventor of the internet. Google's Vint Cerf is also credited with being "co-founder" of the internet. He did invent the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), but even he denies being the "inventor" of the internet. Leonard Kleinrock was the first to publish a paper about the idea of packet switching, which is essential to the Internet. But the concept of the internet precedes even this 1960s publication.

The first message passed between computers occurred in California. Two universities, UCLA and Stanford communicated via computers in the late 1960s. Could they claim to have "invented the internet? Sure.

There is a saying: Success has many parents, failure only a few. Concerning the invention of the internet, nothing could be more true. Many people did have a hand in its creation and success. But too many take credit for its invention. Such fantastic claims clutter history.

But the question, did Al Gore "create" the internet? The answer is a resounding no. Although his conrtibutions as a politician certainly aided the advancement of our present day internet. Particularly within the US Government and the Department of Defense.

It would be safe to assume Mr. Gore misspoke when interviewed. Most politicians do however. Perhaps he should have clarified his statement a little further in stating his role more accurately. His initiative was limited to providing government funding with grants and seeking the government's utilizing the existing technology for its purpose.

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