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Source: PR Newswire · ICANN · View original release

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today commemorates International Internet Day, recognizing the pioneers who helped establish the Internet and the global community that continues to support its operation. The occasion marks 57 years since the first message was transmitted over ARPANET, a precursor to the Internet.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/icann/9384252-en-icann-marks-international-internet-day-recognizing-57-years-of-global-connection 

On 29 October 1969, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, attempted to send the command “LOGIN” to a computer at Stanford Research Institute. Only the first two letters, “LO,” were transmitted before the receiving system crashed, but their successful transmission was the first host-to-host message sent over ARPANET. Although incomplete, that brief exchange marked an important step in the development of the Internet, a network of networks that would eventually connect people worldwide.

Today, people depend on the Internet to do their jobs, attend classes, manage their finances, and stay in touch with family and friends. Businesses use the Internet to reach customers and work with colleagues across borders. For many people, these activities are so familiar that the technical coordination making them possible is largely invisible.

That historic exchange in 1969 depended on one computer being able to reach another. ICANN’s work addresses that same fundamental need on a global scale. By helping coordinate the Internet’s unique identifiers, including domain names and Internet Protocol addresses, ICANN supports the systems that allow computers and devices to locate one another. The reach of today’s Internet depends on this shared system of names and numbers working consistently across networks.

ICANN’s role connects the technical achievement commemorated on International Internet Day with the practical demands of a network used around the world. Maintaining that coordination requires international cooperation. ICANN’s multistakeholder governance model brings together technical experts, businesses, civil society, governments, academia, and individual Internet users. Through open, transparent processes, this community contributes expertise and perspectives to ICANN’s work and informs its engagement in broader discussions related to its mission.

The Internet’s evolution has also led to a significant expansion of the Domain Name System. Since its early days with a handful of top-level domains (TLDs), such as .com, .net, and .org, more than 1,200 new generic TLDs have been introduced as the result of the 2012 round of ICANN’s New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program, representing brands, communities, and geographic locations. This expansion has also included Internationalized Domain Names, enabling people to use domain names in scripts that reflect their languages and cultures. ICANN is now implementing the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round, which received 1,615 applications as reported on 7 October 2026. These gTLD applications will undergo the applicable review and evaluation processes.

International Internet Day recognizes a pioneering connection and the cooperation that has sustained the Internet’s growth. ICANN carries that work forward through global coordination, community-led policy development, and a commitment to a stable, secure, and unified Internet.

Learn more about ICANN’s work and opportunities to participate at icann.org.

About ICANN

ICANN’s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world. For more information about ICANN’s history, visit https://www.icann.org/history.