Radnor - Fort Myer Heights in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

ARPANET

Photographed by Steven Berkowitz, October 1, 2008

1. ARPANET Marker

Inscription. The ARPANET, a project of the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense, developed the technology that became the foundation for the internet at this site from 1970 to 1975. Originally intended to support military needs, ARPANET technology was soon applied to civilian uses, allowing information to be rapidly and widely available. The Internet, and services such as e-mail, e-commerce and the worldwideweb, continues to grow as the underlying technologies evolve. The innovations inspired by the ARPANET have provided great benefits for society.

Erected 2011 by Arlington County.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Science & Medicine • War, Cold. A significant historical year for this entry is 1970.

Location. 38° 53.663′ N, 77° 4.423′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Radnor - Fort Myer Heights. It is at the intersection of North Oak Street and Wilson Boulevard, on the right when traveling north on North Oak Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1400 North Oak Street, Arlington VA 22209, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cupid's Garden / Fort Corcoran (within shouting distance of this marker); Watergate Investigation

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(about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Corcoran (approx. 0.2 miles away); Here We Remember Them All (approx. ¼ mile away); Something More Than A Statue (approx. 0.3 miles away); A Legacy Older than the Republic (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort Haggerty (approx. 0.3 miles away); Rosslyn (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Battle For Iwo Jima (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).

More about this marker. Marker indicates it was erected in 2008, but the county actually did not get permission from the property owner to install it until 2011.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. - Birthplace of the Internet, in Los Angeles at UCLA.

Also see . . .
1. Mythbusting: The Internet was invented in Arlington?. Excerpt:

This past week, just about every DC-based news outlet has picked up the Associated Press story that Arlington
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, May 6, 2026

2. ARPANET Marker with Binary Code Marker Immediately Below
County is dedicating a plaque at 1400 Wilson Boulevard to commemorate the birthplace of the Internet-predecessor, the ARPANET. While there’s no question that DARPA, namesake of the network, was deeply and inextricably involved in the development of the network, can you really say that Arlington was its birthplace?

(Submitted on May 26, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

2. ARPANET Marker. YouTube video (Submitted on December 27, 2020.)

Additional commentary.
1. Binary string on reverse side
It's a small matter but the binary string on the reverse side actually spells out "ARPANET" (i.e. all upper case), rather than "ARPAnet" which is in the description which accompanies photo #3.
Converted to hexidecimal, one gets: 0x41, 0x52, 0x50, 0x41, 0x4E, 0x45, 0x54
The character representation of the hexidecimal numbers can be found here:
http://www.asciitable.com/

— Submitted May 16, 2019, by Fred Rednor of Arlington, Virginia.

Additional keywords. world wide web, Rosslyn

ARPANET Marker in its Setting image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, May 6, 2026

3. ARPANET Marker in its Setting

Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, March 15, 2016

4. ARPANET Marker

The marker is on the sidewalk to the left in this view.

Side View Of The Primary Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brian Cubbage, May 8, 2013

5. Side View Of The Primary Marker

spells out "ARPANET" in binary code

Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2011, by Steven Berkowitz of Annnandale, Virginia. This page has been viewed 4,881 times since then and 159 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 18, 2011, by Steven Berkowitz of Annnandale, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on May 6, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. 4. submitted on March 15, 2016, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. 5. submitted on May 9, 2014, by Brian Cubbage of Alexandria, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.