Wired: 50 Years of Ethernet

Even though such a large part of our world is now wireless, most of those wavelengths are still made possible by a worldwide network of hardwired cables—from the giant backbones of Internet service providers to the Ethernet lines in people’s homes. The cable connecting the continents under the sea alone has a length of more than 700,000 miles. Exactly 50 years after the invention of Ethernet, our planet Earth is now literally wrapped in the embrace of the Internet. This is the cord that cannot be cut.

this special issue from ledge Here’s a look at the impact Ethernet is having on our world on its 50th birthday. In partnership with the Computer History Museum, we’re reflecting on the origins and consequences of this incredible technology. From LAN parties to Facebook and every other modern platform that now pervades our society, none of them would have been possible without the invention of the one port that rules them all.