The Internet began in 1969 as ARPANET, a project of the U.S. Department of Defense to create a communication network that could withstand nuclear war. In the 1970s, ARPANET expanded and became known as the Internet, connecting universities, research labs, and other networks. The first web browser, Mosaic, was created in 1991, adding graphical capabilities and kickstarting widespread use of the Internet. Today's Internet is a global system of interconnected commercial, government, educational and other networks, with the World Wide Web allowing for sharing of information through hypertext documents and multimedia content.