This is how the project started in the early 1970s. The inventors of the Internet decided to attempt to connect universities

This is how the project started in the early 1970s. The inventors of the Internet decided to attempt to connect universities using computers. They believed they could link the computers at these universities through telephone. University researchers working on the same project could quickly share large amounts of information. The computer was connected to a telephone using a device called a modem. The modem converted computer information into electronic messages that are represented as sounds. These messages traveled through the telephone equipment to the modem on the other end of the telephone line. This receiving modem converted the sound messages back into information that the computer could use. The universities could share information among themselves and the connections quickly grew into a major network. Some experts described this network of computers as streets in a city. One might be amazed at how information was discovered at a given address. Local networks were and still are similar to the streets of a city. And the communication links between distant local networks still resemble major highways. These highways facilitate communication among networks in different areas of the world. Today experts say there are hundreds of millions of computers connected to networks that provide links with computers around the world. It would not be an exaggeration to say that in many countries, computers are now available on every street corner. However, modems are rarely used these days and are being replaced by Wi-Fi.