Final answer:
The ARPANET, which originated in 1969 and connected multiple universities, was created based on work commissioned by DARPA. This network was crucial in the development of the Internet and its underlying technologies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Origins of the Internet
The early switching network that went online in 1969 is known as the ARPANET. This network, which connected computers at various universities, was based on work commissioned by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The ARPANET was a pioneering network that established many of the protocols and technologies used in today's Internet. It was part of a series of technological, government, and business changes that led to the virtual world we are familiar with now, where commerce and communication occur as readily online as they do in physical spaces.
In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, private communication networks began to form between computers due to the partnership between Department of Defense researchers and universities. The system established by ARPANET was initially dedicated to official communications but expanded rapidly beyond government and academia. This network set the stage for the standardized communication protocols established in 1982 and the eventual creation of the Internet and World Wide Web.
In summary, the groundbreaking work for the ARPANET and thus the foundation of the Internet was not carried out by entities like IBM, The United Nations, or Apple Inc., but by DARPA.