History of the Internet Trivia | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast #320

Welcome users! For this week’s installment, we have History of the Internet Trivia. It’s hard to believe the Internet has been around long enough to have “history” but here we are.

As always, this show has three rounds of ten questions each. I ask the questions, and you provide some answers. Whether they’re correct is between you and anyone else in earshot.

When you’re done with History of the Internet Trivia, please join us on social media or Discord. We’d love to hear your take on the show.

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Episode Intro

Welcome users! For this week’s installment, we have History of the Internet Trivia. It’s hard to believe the Internet has been around long enough to have “history” but here we are.

As always, this show has three rounds of ten questions each. I ask the questions, and you provide some answers. Whether they’re correct is between you and anyone else in earshot.

If you’re looking to brag about your score or want to commiserate about how bad it was, consider joining us on social media or Discord.

I’m your host, Brian Rollins and this is episode 320 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast.

Make sure no one is on the phone line and let’s dial in for some trivia.

The Dorky Round

What website was the subject of the movie, The Social Network?
a. Facebook
What social media network was renamed X in 2023?
a. Twitter
Larry Page and Sergey Brin launched what website in 1998? Hint, it’s the most visited site on the web.
a. Google
Prior to Edge, Microsoft produced what web browser of dubious quality?
a. Internet Explorer
The first one of what was sent in 1971 using the now ubiquitous @ sign?
a. Email
Of the top ten websites visited in 2024, which is the only one run by a non-profit?
a. Wikipedia
Apple launched what media player and music store in 2001?
a. iTunes
Starting in 2004 and still running today, what was the first online game with over a million users?
a. World of Warcraft
What governing body gave us the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR in 2018?
a. The EU
Created in 1994, what is the most visited online retailer as of 2024?
a. Amazon

The Geeky Round

What social media website was launched in August 2003 and, despite having fallen in popularity, is still around today?
a. MySpace
Before it was a search engine, what site launched in 1994 as a human-curated directory of websites?
a. Yahoo!
The dial-up service, Quantum Computer Services, was renamed what in 1991?
a. America Online later AOL. My first job in IT was tech support at AOL.
What online service competed with AOL and gave us the GIF file format?
a. CompuServe
Barrack Obama reportedly argued about handing over what type of smartphone when he took office in 2009?
a. A Blackberry
Early Internet conversations were held on BBSes. What is BBS short for?
a. Bulletin Board System
On what system would we find newsgroups like talk.origins or alt.binaries?
a. UseNet
What US Dept of Defence project pioneered packet sending and TCP/IP which is critical for the Internet?
a. ARPANET
What web hosting company was the third-most visited domain in 1999 when it was acquired by Yahoo?
a. GeoCities
What file sharing service was sued by the band, Metallica, in 2000?
a. Napster

The Nerdy Round

What web browser was the forerunner of the current Firefox browser?
a. Netscape Navigator
Developed by the NCSA and released in 1993, what was one of the first widely used web-browsers?
a. Mosaic
What early Internet protocol is named for the mascot at the University of Minnesota?
a. GOPHER
Dial-up modems maxed out in 1998 at what speed?
a. 56 kbits/second. To my shock, you can still buy them.
While at CERN, what computer scientist created the World Wide Web?
a. Tim Berners-Lee
What is the title of the first video uploaded to YouTube?
a. “Me at the zoo”. It’s still up and has over 345 million views
Mobile browsing overtook desktop browsing in what year?
a. It happened in 2014
The first webcam was pointed at what type of appliance?
a. A coffeemaker. XCoffee let people see how full it was.
What Republican Senator from Alaska simplified the Internet into a “series of tubes”?
a. Ted Stevens
Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code was one of the first what?
a. Podcasts

Episode Conclusion

And we are done. How did you manage with Internet Trivia? What was your first experience with the Internet? Mine was probably BBSes and FTP sites with shareware back in the early 1990s.

Next week, we’ve got something completely different. Here’s a clue:

What band was created in 1970 when a fourth member was added to the British rock band, Smile?

Music trivia next week. See you back here on Wednesday.

This was episode 320 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. If you’d like to help support the show, become a patron at Patreon.com/dorkygeekynerdy.

This podcast is written, produced, and hosted by me, Brian Rollins. If you’re into audiobooks or are looking to have your book turned into an audiobook, contact me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.