It is, perhaps, history’s most revolutionary innovation, but arguments rage over which people and social systems should be credited with its creation. In this episode of Johan Norberg’s New and Improved, Norberg unpacks the controversy behind the invention of the Internet.

Was the internet created by the US military to protect our communications systems from attack? Was it created by clever engineers annoyed by technical problems? Should we thank top-down planning or bottom-up problem-solving for the wonder that is today’s internet?

The military did play a part in the internet’s creation, but not like you might expect. After being offered a plan to build the first internet infrastructure, they rejected the idea, leaving it to enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to create the technological marvel we know today.