A large gateway to the Internet—the NSFNET—was developed in the mid 80s by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with an estimated $121 million in federal funds from the United States government.
In Latin America, Mexico became the first country to get connected to the NSFNET in 1989 whereas Chile, Brazil, and Argentina got their initial connections in 1990. The countries of Venezuela and Ecuador were connected to the NSFNET in 1992 followed by Costa Rica and Peru in 1993. Nicaragua, Colombia, Uruguay, Jamaica and Panama got connected in 1994.
As a step to privatize the global computer network, Sprint Corp., Pacific Bell, Ameritech, and Metropolitan Fiber Systems took over the management of the NSFNET in late 1994.
After nine years in operation, the NSFNET was decommissioned in late April 1995.
Here’s a comprehensive timeline …
1986-02-28 Computer networking for scientists – Read document
1986-07-## NSFNET Backbone network 56kbps (image) – View document
1987-07-03 Introduction to the Internet Protocols – Read document
1988-06-20 Macintosh System 6.0
1988-06-28 Windows/286 version 2.1, Windows/386 version 2.1
1988-07-## NSFNET Backbone network. Logical 448kbps topology (image) – View document
1988-07-## NSFNET Backbone network. 1.544kbps, physical T1 topology (image) – View document
1988-07-27 NSFNET backbone is in full production and on schedule – Read document
1988-08-22 Unix System V/386 Release 3.2
1988-10-12 NeXT Computer System
1988-10-31 From Here to France: NSF-NASA Join Forces to Reach Overseas – Read document
1989-02-## Mexico: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1989-02-19 Merit’s New Topology Brings Higher Capacity, Better Service – Read document
1989-04-12 SunOS 4.O
1989-05-15 NSF Keeps Supercomputer Centers At Leading Edge Of Technology – Read document
1989-06-30 SCO Unix System V/386 Release 3.2
1989-07-## NSFNET Backbone network. 1.544kbps (T1) topology (graphic) – View document
1989-08-15 NSFNET Reaches a Billion Packets in First Year – Read document
1989-09-## The Hitchhikers Guide to the Internet – Read document
1989-09-18 NeXT Computer System Release 1.0
1989-10-## Puerto Rico: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1989-11-## High-Speed Networking in Europe: Seeking to Equal U.S. Levels – Read document
1989-11-01 Unix System V Release 4
1989-11-23 National Computer Network to Link Researchers Across Canada – Read document
1990-03-15 NSFNET Establishes International Link – Read document
1990-03-19 Macintosh System 6.0.5
1990-03-18 Signing On, Linking Up, Worldwide – Read document
1990-04-## Chile: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1990-05-## Tim Berners-Lee writes “Information Management: A Proposal” – Read document
1990-05-15 SunOS 4.1
1990-05-22 Windows 3.0
1990-06-## Brazil: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1990-06-08 Government, Industry Envision Building a ‘Data Superhighway’ – Read document
1990-06-12 Unix System V Release 4 Multi-National Language Supplement
1990-06-13 NSF Creates World’s Fastest Openly Available Computer Network – Read document
1990-06-13 NFS Boosts Speed On Coast-To-Coast Computer Network – Read document
1990-06-28 Not-for-profit corporation by Merit Network, Inc., MCI and IBM – Read document
1990-07-## Spain: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1990-09-10 Response to Not-for-profit corporation by Merit, MCI and IBM – Read document
1990-09-17 New Organization to Expand ‘National Computer Superhighway’ – Read document
1990-09-18 NeXTstep Release 2.0
1990-09-27 NSFNET T1 Backbone [PDF] – View document
1990-10-## Argentina: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1990-11-12 WorldWideWeb: Proposal for a HyperText Project – Read document
1990-12-## Initial T3 Deployment in Place on the NSFNET – Read document
1991-02-## NSF Announces Funds. Remaining Nodes Will Move To T3 – Read document
1991-03-22 T3 Demos Give Glimpse Into Not-Too-Distant Future – Read document
1991-05-24 Commercial traffic across NSF sponsored gateways to T3 network – Read document
1991-07-08 Internet could be the US public computer network – Read document
1991-08-06 WorldWideWeb: Summary – Read document
1991-09-04 Solaris 1.0
1991-10-08 Unix System V Release 4 Multiprocessing
1991-11-11 Macintosh System 7
1991-11-22 Project Development Plan. Enhancement of NSFNET Backbone – Read document
1992-01-## Zen and the Art of the Internet [PDF] – Read document
1992-01-## World-Wide Web: An Information Infrastructure for High-Energy Physics [PDF] – Read document
1992-01-24 SCO Unix Operating System Version 4.0
1992-02-## Venezuela: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1992-02-## World-Wide Web: The Information Universe [PDF] – Read document
1992-03-## 386BSD 0.0
1992-03-08 Linux 0.95
1992-04-## T3 Network Nears Full Production – Read document
1992-04-## NSFNET: Bringing the World of Ideas Together – Read document
1992-04-## NSF Plans For Future Backbone Services – Read document
1992-04-06 Windows 3.1
1992-06-## NSFNET Backbone Services Acceptable Use Policy – Read document
1992-06-16 Unix System Release 4.2
1992-06-23 Solaris 2.0
1992-07-## Ecuador: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1992-07-19 386BSD Release 0.1
1992-09-## Internet Basics – Read document
1992-09-08 NeXTSTEP Release 3.0
1992-09-23 World-Wide Web [PDF] – Read document
1992-10-## Phase 3 Upgrade to T3 Network Completed – Read document
1992-10-27 Windows for Workgroups 3.1
1992-11-## NSFNET Backbone Service Restructured – Read document
1992-11-## T1 Scheduled for Dismantling – Read document
1992-12-## NSFNET Backbone network. 45Mbps (T3) topology (image) – View document
1992-12-02 National Science Foundation Network achieves milestone – Read document
1992-12-06 The Network of All Networks – The Internet – Read document
1993-01-## Costa Rica: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1993-01-05 NSF Awards $12 Million for ‘InterNIC’ – Read document
1993-01-23 NCSA Mosaic for X 0.5
1993-03-## T1 NSS’s go to ‘Big NOC in the SKY’ – Read document
1993-04-22 NCSA Mosaic for X 1.0
1993-04-22 NCSA HTTP server beta 0.3
1993-04-30 CERN W3 Software Release Into Public Domain – Read documents: 1 2
1993-05-06 Very High Speed Backbone Network Services Provider for NSFNET – Read document
1993-05-07 World-Wide Web Software Put Into Public Domain – Read document
1993-07-27 Windows NT, Advanced Server
1993-08-17 The World-Wide Web Initiative [PDF] – Read document
1993-09-05 The Internet – Read document
1993-09-06 NCSA httpd 0.5
1993-09-21 Solaris 2.3
1993-10-04 Macintosh System 7 Pro
1993-11-01 FreeBSD 1.0
1993-11-08 Windows for Workgroups 3.11
1993-11-## Peru: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1993-11-04 Web and Mail integration: a few key connections – Read document
1993-11-11 NCSA Mosaic for Microsoft Windows 1.0
1993-11-11 NCSA Mosaic for Macintosh 1.0
1993-11-11 NCSA Mosaic for X 2.0
1993-11-14 The Internet [YouTube]
1993-12-08 A Free and Simple Computer Link – Read document
1993-12-13 NCSA httpd 1.0
1993-12-16 UnixWare 1.1
1994-01-11 “Information Highway” Summit at UCLA C-SPAN Schedule – Read document
1994-01-27 NCSA httpd 1.1
1994-02-## Nicaragua: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1994-02-14 Michigan company continues its work on information superhighway – Read document
1994-03-14 Linux 1.0
1994-04-## Colombia: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1994-04-## Uruguay: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1994-04-11 NCSA httpd 1.2
1994-04-12 Enhanced NCSA Mosaic
1994-05-## Jamaica: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1994-05-08 NCSA httpd 1.3
1994-06-## Panama: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1994-07-## Link Letter. The Merit/NSFNET Backbone Project (The last letter) – Read document
1994-08-04 Description of NSFNET route filtering policy – Read document
1994-09-13 Windows NT Server 3.5, Windows NT Workstation 3.5
1994-09-19 Macintosh System 7.5
1994-09-20 Stanford WWW Workshop – Read document
1994-11-## NSFNET Backbone Byte Traffic – Read document
1994-11-03 Internet Passes Quietly Into Private Hands – Read document
1994-11-22 FreeBSD 2.0
1994-12-15 Netscape Navigator 1.0
1995-01-10 UnixWare 2
1995-03-08 Linux 1.2
1995-04-## Dominican Republic: Initial connection to NSFNET – Read document
1995-04-27 Apache HTTP web server project
1995-05-03 NCSA httpd 1.4
1995-05-07 The Internet [YouTube]
1995-05-09 OpenServer Release 5
1995-05-15 NSFNET Backbone Decommissioned – Read document
1995-08-15 The Internet – Read document
1995-08-17 Internet Explorer 1.0
1995-08-24 Windows 95
1995-09-18 Netscape Navigator 2.0
1995-10-11 NCSA Mosaic 2.0
1995-10-31 Solaris 2.5
1995-11-27 Internet Explorer 2.0
1995-12-02 Apache 1.0
1995-12-07 Internet Strategy Workshop Keynote – Read document