> ARPANET wasn't the first large scale data network. I believe SITA HLN > was world-wide by 1969. However it was a mix of switching technologies > from fully automated to manual depending on what part of the world you > were in. Frankfurt was the first SITA node to transition to fully > automatic data routing in 1966.
AUTODIN was also worldwide by the late 1960s. While it did not allow interactivity between computers - well, back then that really was not much of a thing - It did allow email and generic file transfer (stack of cards - what a file was back then) between varying computer systems. And then there was a Western Electric system that I forget the name of. I have one of the tape drive racks in my garage (videos of this and my AUTODIN junk eventually).. -- Will
