The Internet connects millions of computers globally through a network of networks. It allows any connected computer to communicate with another. The World Wide Web is an information sharing system built on top of the Internet that uses protocols to translate messages into electronic signals for transmission and back into readable text. Hardware components like cables, routers, and servers form the physical infrastructure to connect devices and transmit data wirelessly or physically. The origins of the Internet were in the 1950s US military's desire for a communication system resilient to nuclear attack. Researchers developed time-sharing and early computer networks to facilitate collaboration over distances.