Oak Park in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Communications

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 22, 2026

1. Communications Marker

Inscription.
In 1928, WRGB became the first tv station and aired in Schenectady, New York.

The internet was invented by Robert E. Kahn in 1983.

Erected 2016 by Oak Park Education Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Communications. A significant historical year for this entry is 1928.

Location. 41° 53.231′ N, 87° 46.779′ W. Marker is in Oak Park, Illinois, in Cook County. It is on Lombard Avenue near South Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. The mural is on the east side of the train tunnel. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oak Park IL 60302, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Telephone (here, next

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to this marker); The First Computer Chip (a few steps from this marker); Hello (a few steps from this marker); OPRF Museum (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Maria Sklodowska-Curie (about 500 feet away); Gold Star Men of the World War (about 600 feet away); St. James Apartments (approx. ¼ mile away); 209 N. Humphrey Ave. (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Park.

More about this marker. While there are articles about other history-related murals erected by Oak Park Education Foundation summer campers in Oak Park train tunnels, one specifically about this set on the east side of the Lombard Avenue viaduct could not be found. That said, based on archived Google Street View photos, this mural appears to have been painted in the summer of 2016.

Also see . . . National Inventors Hall of Fame: Robert E. Kahn.

Excerpt: "In collaboration with Vinton Cerf, a computer scientist, he created the Internet architecture, which allows multiple heterogeneous networks (and their computers) to communicate with each other. Their work resulted in a protocol, now known as TCP/IP, that implemented
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 22, 2026

2. Mural inside train tunnel
key elements of the architecture. Beginning in 1983, TCP/IP became the standard host protocol on the ARPANET; it was one of the first three networks to be connected in the Internet, thus enabling applications ranging from e-mail and instant messaging to the World Wide Web."

(Submitted on April 23, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Lombard Avenue train tunnel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 22, 2026

3. Lombard Avenue train tunnel

The mural with the information about "Hello" is on the left.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 23, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 23, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.