Inventor of Computer Networks Paul Baran

After the invention of the computer, the development of networks and the internet changed the world. The packet switching technique, which connects many computers together, expanded the use of computers. Many scientists researched this field, but the fundamental research was done by Paul Baran.

Paul Baran was born on April 29, 1926, in the city of Grodno, Poland. His family moved to Philadelphia, USA, in 1928. His father was a grocer. Paul completed higher studies in 1949 at Drexel Institute and became a computer engineer. He worked in a small computer company and later worked on radar systems in an aircraft company. He then returned to the computer field. In 1969, when the U.S. Defense Department was trying to connect computers, Paul invented the packet switching method. His invention was designed to be secure even during a nuclear attack. In 1985, he founded the first wireless internet company called Metricom. Thus, he started wireless internet. For his contributions, he received honors like the Marconi Prize, the Gray Bell Medal, and the U.S. National Medal. He passed away on March 26, 2011.