Who wrote RFC 1, the first Request for Comments document, in 1969?

Steve Crocker wrote RFC 1, the first Request for Comments document, in 1969. Titled “Host Software,” it was produced at UCLA for the early ARPANET Network Working Group and dated 7 April 1969.

RFC 1 was not an Internet standard in the modern sense. It was a working memorandum intended to circulate ideas among researchers building the first packet-switched network. Crocker deliberately used an informal, discussion-oriented format because the protocols were still being designed and many questions remained open.

The document discussed host software, communication with Interface Message Processors, error checking, links, and possible experiments between ARPANET sites. Its authorship is sometimes confused with the broader group involved in the work, including Steve Carr and Jeff Rulifson, but Crocker is the credited author of RFC 1.

The RFC series later became the formal publication channel for Internet protocols and technical notes. Crocker also helped organize the Network Working Group and authored several other early RFCs, while later contributors such as Jon Postel became central to maintaining the series.