Every day, billions of people search the internet for answers. Whether looking for news, directions, research, shopping, entertainment or simply satisfying curiosity, the act has become so routine that few pause to consider where it all began.

Many assume the story starts with Google.

The story begins with a young Barbadian named Alan Emtage, whose curiosity, ingenuity and determination helped lay the foundation for one of the most transformative technologies of the modern age.