View source for ICANN Historical Timeline

ICANN's history and the history of the Internet are interlinked, and the mission of ICANN was carried out prior to its formation by volunteers, governmental actors, and academic institutions. The following is an attempt to categorize the history (and prehistory) of ICANN and the Domain Name System into eras. Some eras are defined by technical and technological advances, while others are defined by policy initiatives, structural or operational changes to ICANN org, or a broader thematic push. For instance, the present era involves the globalization of access to and use of the Internet; despite ICANN being committed to the global Internet community from its inception, several trends are converging to make the present moment a fight for global and universal access and acceptance: the [[BRIC]] countries will represent the vast majority of Internet growth in the coming decade; [[Internationalized Domain Name]]s are growing in prominence and the effort to ensure [[universal acceptance]] of alternate language scripts is as well; efforts to nationalize the DNS by China and Russia are forcing a broader conversation about the value and impact of a global Internet; and ICANN itself is aggressively seeking to improve its presence in and outreach to under-represented parts of the world.

==Overview==
<timeline>
DateFormat=mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1997 till:12/31/2022
Define $now = 09/24/2021 # Please keep updated
Define $skip = at:end # Force a blank line
Define $dayunknown = 15 # what day to use if it's actually not known
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TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:10 left:10 bottom:20 top:20
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AlignBars = justify

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     id:bg         value:white
     id:ceo      value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.7) legend:CEO
     id:chair        value:rgb(1,0.5,0.5) legend:Chairperson
     id:structure        value:rgb(1,0.6,0.4) legend:Structural_Changes
     id:org        value:rgb(0.4,1,0.4) legend:Organizational_Developments
     id:gtld      value:skyblue legend:TLD_Management
     id:global      value:rgb(1,0.9,0.9) legend:Global_Growth_&_Inclusion
     id:interim     value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) legend:Interim_CEO
     id:privacy     value:rgb(0.5,0.2,1) legend:Data_Privacy_&_Security


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    align:center textcolor:black fontsize:L mark:(line,black) shift:(0,-10)

     color:ceo width:22
          bar:CEO from:10/01/1998 till:03/15/2001 text:"[[Mike Roberts|Roberts]]"
          bar:CEO from:03/15/2001 till:03/15/2003 text:"[[Stuart Lynn|Lynn]]"
          bar:CEO from:03/15/2003 till:06/15/2009 text:"[[Paul Twomey|Twomey]]"
          bar:CEO from:06/15/2009 till:07/15/2012 text:"[[Rod Beckstrom|Beckstrom]]"
          bar:CEO from:07/15/2012 till:10/15/2012 color:interim shift:(15,-28) text:"[[Akram Atallah|Atallah*]]"
          bar:CEO from:10/15/2012 till:03/31/2016 text:"[[Fadi Chehade|Chehade]]"
          bar:CEO from:04/01/2016 till:05/15/2016 color:interim shift:(15,-28) text:"[[Akram Atallah|Atallah*]]"
          bar:CEO from:05/15/2016 till:$now        text:"[[Goran Marby|Marby]]"
          at:$now shift:(0,-28) align:right text:"*Interim Appointments"

     color:white width:1 mark:(line,white)
          bar:skip at:end

     color:chair width:22 mark:(line,black) #We use the last day of the relevant AGM to set start/end dates
          bar:Chair from:10/01/1998 till:11/16/2000 text:"[[Esther Dyson|Dyson]]"
          bar:Chair from:11/16/2000 till:11/02/2007 text:"[[Vint Cerf|Cerf]]"
          bar:Chair from:11/02/2007 till:10/28/2011 text:"[[Peter Dengate Thrush|Thrush]]"
          bar:Chair from:10/28/2011 till:11/09/2016 text:"[[Steve Crocker|Crocker]]"
          bar:Chair from:11/09/2016 till:11/08/2019 text:"[[Cherine Chalaby|Chalaby]]"
          bar:Chair from:11/08/2019 till:$now       text:"[[Maarten Botterman|Botterman]]"

     barset:events width:22
          color:structure from:01/01/1997 till:10/01/1998 shift:(105) text:"[[ICANN#History: The Beginning|Birth of ICANN]]"
          color:structure from:12/24/1998 till:09/30/2016 text:"[[Internet Assigned Numbers Authority#IANA Contract|IANA Functions Contract]]"
          color:gtld from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/1999 shift:(60) text:"[[Testbed Registrars|Testbed]]"
          color:gtld from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2008 text:"[[Vertical Integration#History of Vertical Separation|Vertical Separation]]"
          color:structure from:11/04/1999 till:03/15/2001 align:center text:[[Ad Hoc Group on Future Numbering Requirements|Ad Hoc]]
          color:structure from:11/15/2001 till:06/26/2003 shift:(185) align:center text:"[[2002 Evolution and Reform Process]]"
          color:org from:01/01/2007 till:$now text:"[[ICANN Reviews|Infinite Reviews]]"
          color:gtld from:01/01/2008 till:12/31/2010 shift:(180) text:"[[Vertical Integration|Shift to Vertical Integration]]"
          color:org from:03/01/2008 till:05/31/2012 align:center text:"[[First GNSO Organizational Review#Implementation|GNSO Goes Bicameral]]"
          color:org from:01/01/2009 till:$now text:"[[First_Accountability_and_Transparency_Review|Accountability & Transparency]]"
          color:global from:05/15/2009 till:12/31/2012 text:"[[Root Scaling Study|Scaling the Root]]"
          color:gtld from:01/12/2012 till:12/31/2017 text:"[[New gTLD Program]]"
          color:global from:01/01/2013 till:12/31/2018 text:"[[Internationalized Domain Name|Introduction of IDNs]]"
          color:global from:01/01/2015 till:$now text:"[[Global Inclusion Initiatives]]"
          color:privacy from:01/01/2012 till:$now text:"[[General Data Protection Regulation|GDPR]]"
          color:structure from:10/01/2016 till:$now align:center text:"[[PTI|PTI Created]]"
          color:org from:01/01/2017 till:$now text:"[[Information Transparency Initiative|Info Transparency Initiative]]"
          color:org from:01/01/2019 till:$now text:"[[Evolution of the Multistakeholder Model|MSM Evolution]]"

</timeline>
==Eras==
[[ICANN through the Decades|ICANN has grown and changed significantly over the years]]. [[:Category:Internet Pioneers|Many people]] have made contributions throughout their lives to shaping how the Internet and ICANN work. The following is an abbreviated look at the birth of the Internet and the development of ICANN. It should not be taken as a canonical resource regarding ICANN's evolution. Technological and policy initiatives overlap. The boundaries for each era are necessarily fuzzy. Although the effort is to identify themes within the events and history of a given era, there is no guarantee that we have it "right," or that there is a "perfectly correct" representation of a given timeframe.

==1968-1976: The Birth of the Internet==
===ARPANET===
<gallery>
File:NLS - Stanford 1968.jpg|NLS System at Stanford, 1968<ref>[https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/nls DARPA.mil - NLS]</ref>
File:1968b MOAD.jpg|The "Mother of All Demos," 1968<ref>[https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/the-mother-of-all-demos DARPA.mil - the MOAD]</ref>
File:1969 ARPANET 290x230.png|Concept drawing of ARPANET, 1969<ref>[https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/modern-internet DARPA.mil - Paving the Way to the Modern Internet]</ref>
File:1969a ARPANET full.jpg|Interface Message Processor, 1969<ref>[https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/arpanet DARPA.mil - The ARPANET]</ref>
File:1973 - TCP-IP - IEEE Image 1974.jpg TCP/IP Schematic, 1973<ref>[https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/tcp-ip DARPA.mil - TCP/IP]</ref>
File:Queen-Elizabeth-II-sending-her-first-e-mail.jpg|Queen Elizabeth II sends an email, 1976<ref>[https://mraths.org.uk/?page_id=588 Malvern Radar and Technology History Society - HM Queen Elizabeth II sends Email]</ref>
</gallery>
===1972===
====Events====
* UCLA grad student [[Jon Postel]] proposes that a "numbers czar" be appointed to keep a record of addresses on the [[ARPANET]] and guard against address collisions. The research community agrees and elects Postel to the position of internet numbers coordinator (eventually to become known as the [[Internet Assigned Numbers Authority]]).<ref name="isoctl">[https://www.internetsociety.org/ianatimeline/ Internet Society - IANA Timeline]</ref> Ultimately, the [[ARPANET]] was a product of [[DARPA]], the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. MIT, the University of Southern California, UCLA, and the Stanford Research Institute, under contract with DARPA, were all instrumental in the development of technologies that are still used today in the modern Internet.<ref>[https://www.livescience.com/20727-internet-history.html LiveScience.com - ARPANET to the World Wide Web], published June 2017</ref> [[Jon Postel]], [[Vint Cerf]], [[Steve Crocker]], and other Internet pioneers were first connected with ARPANET projects and innovations.

==1983-1988: Birth of the DNS==
[[File:NSFNET logo.png ‎|500px|thumbnail|right|NSFNet Logo (Image from [https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=1302 History of Information])]]
===1983===
====Events====
* Postel officially establishes IANA
===1986===
====Events====
* NSF launches [[NSFNet]]
===1987=== 
====Events====
* Over 20,000 servers online hosting websites

==1988-1995: Legitimization==
===1988===
====Documents & RFCs====
[[File:IAB.png ‎|1000px|thumbnail|right|IAB logo (Image from [https://www.iab.org/about/history/ A Brief History of the IAB])]]* RFC 1083 - Internet Activities Board Official Protocol Standards (first mention of the [[Internet Assigned Numbers Authority]] (IANA) in the RFC Index)<ref>[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1083.html RFC 1083 - IAB Official Protocol Standards], December 1988</ref>
===1992===
* Internet goes commercial/ gains a public/ officially becomes marketplace
====Documents & RFCs====
* RFC 1358 - Original Charter of the [[Internet Architecture Board]] (the Internet Activities Board gets a new name and charter document)<ref>[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1358.html RFC 1358 - Charter of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB)], August 1992</ref>
* RFC 1386 - The [[.us]] Domain (Jon Postel explains structure and use of the .US [[ccTLD]] and second-level domains for states)<ref>[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1386.html RFC 1386 - The .US Domain], December 1992</ref>

===1993===
====Events====
* [[Network Solutions]] enters into a five-year contract with the NSF to provide domain name registration and network number assignment services.

====Documents & RFCs====
* RFC 1436 - Internet Gopher Protocol<ref>[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1436.html RFC 1436 - Internet Gopher Protocol], March 1993</ref>
* RFC 1527 - What Should We Plan Given the Dilemma of the Network? ([[Gordon Cook]] presents his thoughts and proposals, developed during his time with the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, on the possible regulatory and policy needs of the [[National Research and Education Network]] and the "American" internet, as they become a noncommercial part of the global internet)<ref>[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1527.html RFC 1527 - What Should We Plan Given the Dilemma of the Network?], September 1993</ref>
===1994===
====Events====
* Postel publishes what will become a canonical resource for the management of (and debates regarding) [[The Domain Name System|the domain name system]]. 
====Documents & RFCs====
* [[RFC 1591]] - Domain Name System Structure and Delegation

==1996-1997: Internet Governance in Broad Strokes==
[[File:IAHC_Original_Members.jpg|655px|thumbnail|right|IAHC Original Members (Image from [https://www.internetsociety.org/history-timeline/formation-of-international-ad-hoc-committee-iahc/ Internet Society])]]
===1997===
====Events====
* In May 1997, the [[ISOC]] and IANA form the International Ad Hoc Committee ([[IAHC]]) concerning the development of a new governance model for TLDs following the expansion and commercialization of the Internet. 
* June 1997, the Clinton administration commits to the privatization of DNS management.
====Documents====
* [https://clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/WH/New/Commerce/ Framework for Global Electronic Commerce]

==1998: Birth of ICANN==
====Events====
* In February 1998, the National Telecommunications Information Administration ([[NTIA]]) creates a Proposal to Improve the Technical Management of Internet Names and Addresses.
[[File:Headquarters-ICANN-Marina-del-Rey-Calif.jpg|right|thumbnail|Early ICANN Headquarters at USC ISI (Image from [https://www.britannica.com/topic/ICANN Britannica])]]* In September 1998, ICANN files its Articles of Incorporation with the California Secretary of State.
* In October 1998, ICANN’s first board meeting is held in New York, at which [[Esther Dyson]] is named Chairman and [[Mike Roberts]] is designated President of ICANN.
* In November 1998, a [[Memorandum of Understanding]] between the [[United States Department of Commerce]] and [[ICANN]] is signed.<ref>[https://www.icann.org/resources/unthemed-pages/icann-mou-1998-11-25-en ICANN.org Archive - Memorandum of Understanding], November 25, 1998</ref> Contemporaneously with the signing of the MoU, ICANN amends its Articles of Incorporation to include a broader statement of public benefit that conforms to the expectations of the MoU.
* The U.S. Department of Commerce releases the  “Management of Internet Names and Addresses” outlining the objectives of ensuring DNS stability, maintaining competition, keeping Internet Governance in the private sector, relying on bottom-up coordination, and encouraging diverse and global representation.
* In December 1998, the University of Southern California (USC) and ICANN enter into the IANA functions transition agreement.
====Documents====
* The [[Green Paper]]
* The [[White Paper]]

==1999-2002: ICANN's Ad Hoc Era==
===1999===
====Events====
* [[DNSO]] comes into existence
* In March, 
# the [[ICANN Board]] adopts the [[Registrar Accreditation Agreement|Statement of Registrar Accreditation Policy]] for [[.com]], [[.net]], and [[.org]], allowing for competition among domain name registrars for the first time ever, and establish the bylaws for the formation of the [[DNSO]]; and
# [[ICANN 1]] takes place in Singapore, where the ([[GAC]]) and the [[RSSAC]] hold their inaugural meetings.
* In October, 
# the [[ASO]] is established, and
# the ICANN Board approves the [[UDRP]].
===2000===
====Events====
* The first New gTLD Expansion Round is conducted.<ref>[https://archive.icann.org/en/tlds/app-index.htm ICANN.org - New TLD Application Process Archive], last updated November 13, 2000</ref>

==2001-2003: ICANN Reform==
===2002===
====Events====
* The ICANN Board launches the [[2002 Evolution and Reform Process|Evolution and Reform Process]], which will bring sweeping change to ICANN constituency structures, processes, and bylaws.<ref>[https://archive.icann.org/en/committees/evol-reform/ ICANN.org Archive - Committee on Evolution and Reform]</ref> 
====Documents====
* M. Stuart Lynn: "President's Report: ICANN -- The Case for Reform"<ref>[https://archive.icann.org/en/general/lynn-reform-proposal-24feb02.htm ICANN: The Case for Reform], February 24, 2002</ref>
* [https://www.icann.org/resources/unthemed-pages/bylaws-2002-12-15-en ICANN Bylaws], as revised in December 2002 in response to the Evolution & Reform Process and the ERC's recommendations.

==2002-2006:Expansion of [[ICANN Community]]==
===2002===
====Events====
[[File:ICANNWiki Main Page November 2005.png|thumbnail|right|1000px|[https://web.archive.org/web/20051125213350/http://www.icannwiki.com/index.php/Main_Page ICW Main Page] ahead of its [[ICANN 24]] debut]]* [[LACNIC]] joins [[ASO]]
* [[SSAC]] formed
* Bicameral [[GNSO]] replaces DNSO
===2003===
====Events====
* The ccNSO is created for and by ccTLD managers
* ICANN launches the second new gTLD expansion round, which runs until 2011 and during which .asia, .cat, .jobs, .mobi, .tel, .travel, .xxx are delegated.
* [[NomCom]] is formed
* [[ALAC]] is established
===2004===
====Events====
* ICANN gets its first [[Ombudsman]]
===2005===
====Events====
* [[ICANNWiki]] is founded to foster and grow knowledge and community ties among ICANN's diverse constituencies.
* [[AFRINIC]] joins the [[ASO]]

==2007-2009: Seemingly Infinite Reviewing Cycle==
[[File:First Org Reviews.jpeg|500px|right|First Organizational Review Timeline]]
[[File:Review Overlap.jpeg|500px|above|Rough Timeline of ICANN Review Overlap]] <br/>

The [[ICANN Bylaws]] call for two different types of review - organizational reviews (Article 4.4) and specific reviews (Article 4.6). [[ICANN Reviews#Organizational Reviews|Article 4.4 reviews]] were born from the [[2002 Evolution and Reform Process]], and require periodic review of ICANN's supporting organizations and advisory committees. [[ICANN Reviews#Specific Reviews|Article 4.6 reviews]] originated in the [[Affirmation of Commitments]], and the first round of "specific" reviews occurred before these reviews were enshrined in the bylaws. The amendment to the bylaws came about as a result of the [[IANA Functions Stewardship Transition]], when it was recommended that the bylaws be revised to incorporate ICANN's obligations under the Affirmation of Commitments.

As the organizational reviews began, ICANN was in the process of entering into the Affirmation of Commitments with the [[United States Department of Commerce]]. As a result, the first specific reviews were launched in 2010, while most of the organizational reviews were still in progress or only recently completed. Many community members since that date have commented on what seems to be a relentless cycle of reviews of one aspect of ICANN or another (or many others at the same time).

[[Third Accountability and Transparency Review|ATRT 3]] addressed this issue head-on, suggesting that organizational reviews be replaced by "continuous improvement programs," the results of which could feed into a single, "holistic" review of the organization and its constituent parts, to be performed on a periodic basis. In addition, the ATRT 3 team recommended suspending the next cycle of specific reviews until the completion of the next Accountability and Transparency Review. These recommendations were met with varying levels of enthusiasm. The ICANN Board approved the recommendations in the fall of 2020, with caveats. On the specific review side, the board noted that community approval would be required to amend the bylaws around specific reviews. In the organizational review reforms, the board agreed to implement pilot projects testing both the "holistic" review model and a continuous improvement model.
===2007===
====Events====
* The [[First NomCom Organizational Review]] is launched.

===2008===
====Events====
* [[First GNSO Organizational Review|The first GNSO Organizational Review]] results in the creation of the bicameral structure of the [[GNSO Council]], and the creation of the [[GNSO Houses]].

== 2009-2012: Defining Accountability and Transparency at ICANN ==
[[File:ATRT1 Process.png|right|thumbnail|ATRT1 Process (Image from [https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/atrt1-progress-milestones-2019-08-06-en ATRT1 Milestones, ICANN])]]
===2009===
====Events====
* The [[Affirmation of Commitments]] between [[ICANN]] and the [[United States Department of Commerce]] establishes the requirement for [[ICANN Reviews|specific reviews]] of ICANN's core commitments.
* [[RSSAC]] and [[SSAC]] jointly commission a [[Root Scaling Study]] as part of ICANN's preparations for the [[New gTLD Program]].<ref>[https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/minutes-2009-02-03-en Resolution of the Board], February 3, 2009</ref>
===2010===
====Events====
* The [[First Accountability and Transparency Review]] (ATRT1) was conducted between 2010 and 2011, with the implementation of recommendations from the review stretching into 2013.<ref name="dashboard">[https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/atrt1-progress-milestones-2019-08-06-en ICANN.org - ATRT1 Dashboard], last updated August 6, 2019</ref>
====Documents====
* "Scaling the Root: Report on the Impact on the DNS Root System of Increasing the Size and Volatility of the Root Zone"<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/root-scaling-study-report-31aug09-en.pdf Root Scaling Study Report], August 31, 2009 (PDF)</ref>

== 2012-2017: Scaling the Root== 
===2012===
* The third round of new gTLD expansion is launched with the [[New gTLD Program]].
===2014===
====Events====
* The [[NTIA]] announces its intention to transition responsibility for IANA functions to the global multistakeholder community, and instructs ICANN to develop a transition plan.<ref>[https://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2014/ntia-announces-intent-transition-key-internet-domain-name-functions NTIA.gov - NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet DNS Functions], March 14, 2014</ref>
====Documents====
RFC 7282 - On Consensus and Humming in the IETF: [[Pete Resnick]] describes the process of gathering opinion and reaching "at least rough" consensus in decision making at the IETF.<ref>[https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc7282/ IETF Datatracker - RFC 7282], published June 2014</ref>

==2015-Present: Toward Universality==
===2015===
====Events====
* The [[UASG|Universal Acceptance Steering Group]] is formed
===2017=== 
====Events====
* ICANN and NTIA formally end their contract for the IANA functions, completing the transition of the IANA functions stewardship from NTIA to ICANN.

==References==
{{reflist}}
__NOTOC__

[[Category:ICANN History]]