The Formative Years: 1958-1975 Established to maintain U.S. technological superiority over potential adversaries, ARPA is created in 1958 as a division of the Department of Defense. Link: http://www.darpa.mil/About/History/First_50_Years.aspx Source: http://www.darpa.mil/VideoFiles/01_-_The_Formative_Years_1958_-_1975_200...