30 years ago, no one had heard of internet banking. Online shopping was for science fiction books, and social networking was… well, it came out of nowhere.

Have you ever wondered how we got here, into a connected world with everything at our fingertips?

The computer revolution that started in the 1960s was well into its stride when the following documentaries were produced. These must-watch films chart everything you need to know about the birth of computing and the development and evolution of the internet.

1. The Mother of All Demos

No collection of videos about the history of computing and the internet can be complete without this. The Mother of all Demos features engineer Douglas Engelbart demonstrating a mouse and keyboard driven graphic user interface (or GUI).

In 1968.

Yes, 1968. What you are about to see is an amazing prediction of how we use computers now, 45 years later. It's jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring and slightly spooky in equal measure.

Follow this with part 2 and part 3.

2. The Computer Program

The Computer Program was a ten-part series (here’s the full series playlist) in which the possibilities of owning a home computer was outlined and explained to viewers. This BBC TV show provided BASIC programming tutorials, with demonstration machines used were the BBC’s own range of Acorn computers.

A fascinating glimpse into the past, this show demonstrates how long computers have been involved in our everyday lives.

3. Triumph Of The Nerds

Robert X. Cringely’s Accidental Empires has become a key element of computer studies degrees. Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires can be considered “the movie version.”

It tells the story of famous nerds like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, has plenty of references early computing milestones, and is genuinely a pleasure to watch. Part one, recently upscaled with AI, is above. You'll also need to watch part 2 and part 3.

This documentary ends in 1996, just before Steve Jobs returned to Apple and revolutionized things again...

4. Nerds 2.0.1 A Brief History of the Internet

Also available to view is Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet (1998). This is a sequel to Triumph of the Nerds, beginning with the brave new age of the World Wide Web.

If you’ve wanted to know more about the origins of the web, HTML, networking and bulletin boards, this is the film for you. Featuring interviews with Doug Engelbart, World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee, and Microsoft's Steve Ballmer among many others, this is the perfect companion piece to Triumph of the Nerds.

A book of this documentary (Nerds 2.0.1) also exists, written by director Stephen Segaller.

5. Douglas Adams’ Hyperland

If Triumph of the Nerds and Nerds 2.0.1 doesn’t get you excited about just how far we’ve come since the 1990s, Hyperland will blow your mind. While Nerds 2.0.1 covers much of the same era, Hyperland focuses more on the theory of linked things, hypertext and virtual worlds of data.

Consider it a reconciliation of everything you saw in The Mother of All Demos.

Narrated by Douglas Adams (the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) with regular interruptions and explanations from Tom Baker (that’s the scarf-wearing fourth Doctor Who to you), this is a fascinatingly predictive look at how we use the internet. Incredibly, this was broadcast in 1990!

6. Revolution OS

Have you ever witnessed a revolution? Could you have even lived through one-- and not known about it?

If you’re a fan of Linux and the open source movement (which is different to closed source software), then the answer is surely “yes”. Revolution OS (2001) covers the history of GNU/Linux from its beginnings to the turn of the century. It features chats with the people who mattered, such as Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman.

Mixing on-screen stats with interviews (and sinister music whenever Microsoft is mentioned) Revolution OS is enthralling for anyone interested in computing, regardless of their operating system philosophy.

7. Steal This Film

Software piracy continues to be a big problem. Movie and music piracy, meanwhile, never went away, whatever you might think. With the increasing price rises and new premium subscriptions of services like Disney+ and Netflix, it’s here to stay.

Steal This Film is a documentary about not about piracy, but about the way in which distribution of entertainment media has changed. While dated, much of it remains relevant today, and will give you a good idea of the impact piracy has.

8. Hackers ‘95

In 1995, the movie Hackers starred Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie and did quite a good job of dramatizing the fears and fascination around hacking.

It was, of course, Hollywood fluff.

Hackers 95, meanwhile, is closer to the truth. Providing an insight into the beginnings of hacking and the hacktivist movement, it is part documentary, part spoof, with footage recorded at the SummerCon 95, Defcon 3, Operation Cyber Snare events.

9. We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists

On a similar topic, but fast forwarding several years, The Story of Anonymous is a 2012 documentary charting the birth and subsequent rise of Anonymous. Explaining the background to hacktivism and key events the collective has been involved with, it has been made available by Anonymous to watch online.

While Anonymous continues to operate, this documentary is clearly outdated now, but provides a useful history.

10. How Did We Get to the Modern Computer?

Presented by Professor Jim Al-Khalili, this 2022 documentary is a smart summary of everything else in this list. If you can’t manage to watch everything else, at least watch this, which provides up-to-date information in a modern context.

While there are some omissions, the documentary runs to just under an hour, and manages to pack in a lot.

Watch These Documentaries to Learn Where the Modern World Came From

Our grandparents—and many of us reading this—grew up in a very different world. There was no internet, transistors were rare and expensive, and many homes didn’t have telephones.

These documentaries provide an idea of what has happened over the past few decades to influence and reshape the world.