Leonard Kleinrock

Among those in the know, there is little doubt as to the identity of the real inventer of the internet: Leonard Klienrock. He is universally recognized as the father of modern data networking and the first to consider "packet switched" networks, the communications technology upon which the entire internet is founded. His 1961 paper "Information Flow in Large Communication Nets" revolutionized how people thought about electronic communications.

Eight years later in September of 1969 Kleinrock directed the very first connections of "inter-networked" computers using the new technology. In October of that year he supervised the first message ever sent over the new internet -- which by December of 1969 included four computers! His work unquestionably was both the theoretical and practical foundation for all that followed. By February of 2005, there were over 800 million estimated users of Kleinrock's internet tehcnology worldwide.

Dr. Kleinrock still works on networking and computer sciences today at UCLA where he is a Professor of Computer Science. Dr. Kleinrock has been honored with membership in the National Academy of Engineering, the L.M. Ericsson Prize from the King of Sweden, the twelveth Marconi Fellowship from the Prince of Belgium, as well as numerous academic honors and prizes. Dr. Kleinrock has volunteered for Cerebral Palsey telethons, holds a black belt in Karate and is a marathon runner. He reports that he also enjoys swimming and exotic nature trips.

Born: June 13, 1934, Manhattan