To counteract the perceived threat of Russian space exploration during the Cold War, the United States boosted investment in research and computer science. Fearing the potential destruction of the national telephone line network, the United States turned to J.C.R. Licklider, a psychologist and computer scientist at MIT and DARPA to develop a robust communication alternative.<ref name="Invention of Internet">http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/invention-of-the-internet The Invention of the Internet. History.com Staff. History.com. 20 Mar 2015</ref> | To counteract the perceived threat of Russian space exploration during the Cold War, the United States boosted investment in research and computer science. Fearing the potential destruction of the national telephone line network, the United States turned to J.C.R. Licklider, a psychologist and computer scientist at MIT and DARPA to develop a robust communication alternative.<ref name="Invention of Internet">http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/invention-of-the-internet The Invention of the Internet. History.com Staff. History.com. 20 Mar 2015</ref> |