The Internet was invented in 1969 in the United States as a network for connecting computers. It was started in India in 1995 through VSNL, a government-owned company. The document discusses the history of the Internet and some of its applications including e-commerce, video conferencing, social networking, e-banking, and chatting. These applications allow online commercial activities, face-to-face communication through sharing images and sounds, connecting individuals through shared content and media, performing banking transactions, and instant messaging conversations.