⚙️ Education & Information
Dark Web Timeline — History of the Dark Web
Interactive visual timeline of dark web history from the invention of Tor in the 1990s to today. Key events, milestones, and turning points.
Dark Web Timeline
An interactive history of the dark web, from ARPANET to modern law enforcement operations. Click any event to expand its details.
Showing 23 of 23 events
About This Timeline
This timeline covers the key events in the history of the dark web, from the creation of the internet to modern-day law enforcement operations. Events are categorized by type and can be filtered using the buttons above.
- Technology — infrastructure and protocol milestones
- Marketplace — dark web market activity
- Law Enforcement — seizures, arrests, and operations
- Privacy — anonymity tools and privacy milestones
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
When was the dark web created?+
Onion routing research began at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in 1995. The Tor Project was publicly released in 2002. The 'dark web' as a cultural concept emerged around 2011 with Silk Road.
What was Silk Road?+
Silk Road (2011-2013) was the first major dark web marketplace, created by Ross Ulbricht ('Dread Pirate Roberts'). It was shut down by the FBI in 2013, and Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison.
Who created Tor?+
Onion routing was invented by Paul Syverson, Michael Reed, and David Goldschlag at the U.S. Naval Research Lab. Roger Dingledine and Nick Mathewson developed Tor as open-source software, launched in 2002.