Which university began the ARPANET project?

The correct answer is UCLA, as it was one of the original nodes of the ARPANET project, which is considered the precursor to the modern internet. The ARPANET, funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), aimed to create a network that would allow different computers to communicate with one another even if one or more were out of service. UCLA was chosen as one of the first four nodes in the network, and on October 29, 1969, it successfully transmitted the first message over the ARPANET to Stanford Research Institute.

Understanding the significance of UCLA in this project highlights its vital role in the early stages of networked communication and the development of technologies that we rely on today.