THE COLLINS STORY - THE INTERNET CONNECTION

Documentary, Technology, Science, history

United States

2025

Runtime, min

It's very likely that you are one of over five billion people using the internet on nearly 20 billion devices to shop, stream, research and communicate. But how many of us are aware of the technologies and people that made these connections possible? This film explores the stories of brilliant engineers and groundbreaking mobile technologies from Collins Radio, headquartered in Iowa, that helped shape the foundations of the modern internet. Through archival images and firsthand interviews, we trace the evolution of computing, networking, and radio communications through the mid to late 20th century. Ride along with the engineers on November 22, 1977, as the first internet message is sent using Collins technology—a breakthrough that paved the way for today’s mobile networks. Pioneers including Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf, the “fathers” of TCP/IP, join Collins and Stanford Research Institute engineers to recall how curiosity, collaboration, a beer garden, a bread truck, a little luck and lots of determination laid the foundation for global connectivity.

Director:

Annette Juergens Busbee

Selections and Awards:

REVIEWS:

Really solid documentary! It started a bit slow, explaining all the corporate transitions of Collins Radio, but once they got to the actual November 1977 test, I was hooked. It’s crazy to think that sending a simple message back then required a whole van full of equipment, and now we carry millions of times that computing power in our pockets. Great educational film, maybe a 4 out of 5 for me.

Gupta Rahul

An informative and interesting film. It's a bit drawn-out and slightly overloaded with technical details. It wasn't always easy to follow the thread of the explanations. However, the inspiration and enthusiasm of the people who stood at the origins of the Internet are perfectly conveyed. The greatest discoveries, which people arrived at through unusual experiments, surreal theories, chance encounters, scientific research, painstaking work, and the collaboration of various organizations. Thank you!

Live Screenings Attendee

I think it's a great educational tool for a history or computer science class, but for a Friday night movie, it was a bit dry. Still, respect to the pioneers!

Francesca Rossi

A brilliant piece of historical preservation. Annette did a fantastic job bringing the unsung heroes of the internet to light. We always hear about Silicon Valley, but realizing that so much crucial development happened in Iowa with the Collins Division is eye-opening. The archival footage of the bread truck experiment is priceless. It makes you realize how much determination it took to get us to the point where we can just stream a movie on our phones.

Jackson Smith

Absolutely fascinating! I work in IT, and I had no idea that the foundation of mobile internet started in a van in 1977 with Collins Radio. Hearing firsthand from Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn was like meeting rock stars. The film perfectly balances technical details with the human story: the collaboration, the problem-solving, and even the beer garden meetings. A must-watch for anyone who wants to know how our connected world actually began!

Dong-wook Park