Some important historical events loom large in our memories: the Easter Rising, the death of JFK, or the outbreak of World War II to name a few. Others pass unmarked and little known for many years before their full significance becomes apparent.
One of these occurred 30 years ago yesterday in the computer science laboratories of UCLA in California. A small team led by Dr Leonard Kleinrock made history on October 20th, 1969, when they managed to get their computer in Los Angeles to "talk" to another one at the Stanford Research Institute near San Francisco.
The experiment was only a partial success, as half-way through the message the computer downed tools and crashed. But it offers us a landmark in the long line of breakthroughs that have led to the development of the Internet as we know it today.
Pioneering work
Dr Kleinrock is now one of a number of scientists competing for the title of "father of the Internet" for his pioneering work. However, there is a touch of irony in the fact that this research, which has now had such a profound impact, came about because of a cost-cutting exercise by the US department of defence, which in the 60s was funding the research of a number of computer scientists across the US through the Advanced Projects Research Agency (ARPA).
The problem was that each research team needed expensive and complex computer equipment at its location. So that equipment could be shared, a plan was made to work out a way of logging on to one computer from different centres.
With hindsight it may seem strange that it took so long for the Internet to develop as more than just a network to help scientists exchange information and computer applications. It is only in the 1990s, with the arrival of the World Wide Web, that use of the Internet has become a mass market phenomenon.
Dr Kleinrock and his fellow technological pioneers could not foresee the future impact of the process they had set in motion. Current debates about pornography on the Internet, or the huge commercial benefits the World Wide Web might offer, were far from these scientists' minds. "We did not think about potential dangers," said Kleinrock in a recent interview. "We talked about bits and bytes and routers and switches. We did not talk about, `Will little Charlie do his home work or will he look at pornography?' "
Three years after the UCLA success, research began into developing e-mail systems. One of the enduring symbols of the 20th century will surely be the innocuous looking @ sign, which in 1972 was promoted from its bit part on the computer keyboard to a starring role in everyday computer use.
Writing letters
But in all the hype over the Internet and its benefits, what better time than its 30th birthday for some quiet reflection on its merits and drawbacks? One of my own worries is that the Internet is constantly heralded as meaning the end of everything as we know it. We are told people will never write letters again, only e-mails; we won't go shopping any more, but order things from on-line superstores. Worst of all, is the idea - God forbid - that the Net will mean the end of newspapers on good old-fashioned paper with all the potential for sweaty black smudges that this entails.
No disrespect to readers who are looking at these words on their computer screens. Without doubt the Web editions of newspapers are an impressive innovation, particularly as they save news-hungry readers from having to buy all the papers they might want to look at. But there is something so tangible and pleasant about turning the pages of a paper in your hands. The way your eye can pass down a page and pick up on things you might never have thought to read otherwise, and to which your focused mouse-clicking might never lead you.
As for the end of writing letters, I must confess that I am already developing a syndrome called e-mail fatigue. The ability to send and receive so quickly has reduced my friends' prose to monosyllabic one-liners. A quick "How's it going?" from a friend in Hong Kong is no substitute for the rustle as an envelope falls though the letter box and the tingling anticipation as the pages of inky script are unfolded.
Respect
Another thing to reflect upon is the way the Internet revolution has changed the balance of social kudos. Derided for years as geeks and techies, computer specialists must now be feeling their time has come. Of course there are financial gains for these technical wizards, but more importantly those who understand computers have become men and women of respect, held in awe by mortals like me who start looking for the Valium the minute the words "file not found" appear on screen.
In Ireland we can feel particularly good about our reaction to the advances in the Internet. In 1969 it would have been difficult to predict that this little agricultural island would become a centre for computer development, an important factor in the economic boom.
I don't suppose October 20th will ever quite spark the great excitement that other anniversaries provoke. But there is no harm in giving their big day a mention, and wishing the Internet many happy returns.