DARPA Network Challenge

The DARPA Network Challenge was a 2009 competition organized by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to test the capabilities of social networks. The goal was to find 10 red weather balloons placed across the United States, using the internet and social media to encourage collaboration. Teams formed to coordinate efforts and share information, demonstrating how quickly information could spread through networks. The challenge aimed to explore crowd-sourcing and the effectiveness of decentralized communication, showcasing the potential for harnessing collective knowledge in solving complex problems. It highlighted innovation in information sharing and community-driven efforts.