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August 6, 1991
In 1989, while working at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee noticed that scientists at the facility could not efficiently access information spread across various computers. He submitted an idea to the management at CERN, proposing a “web” utilizing “a large hypertext database with typed links.” This would provide easy access to information with the click of a mouse. Management wasn’t particularly impressed, but Berners-Lee’s boss, Mike Sendall, encouraged him to develop the system.
Using a NeXT computer — which would ultimately become the world’s first internet server — Berners-Lee wrote the three programs that remain the foundation of today’s web: HTML, HTTP, and URI (later known as URL). He published the first web page and chose a name for the system: the World Wide Web. Then, on August 6, 1991, Berners-Lee published a short summary of his WWW software on an internet newsgroup for hypertext enthusiasts. As interest spread, CERN invited collaborators, sharing access with other institutions and, not long after, the general public. Within a matter of years, Berners-Lee’s invention had revolutionized the way humans communicate. The creation of the web is now considered one of the most transformational events in human history.
In 1989, while working at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee noticed that scientists at the facility could not efficiently access information spread across various computers. He submitted an idea to the management at CERN, proposing a “web” utilizing “a large hypertext database with typed links.” This would provide easy access to information with the click of a mouse. Management wasn’t particularly impressed, but Berners-Lee’s boss, Mike Sendall, encouraged him to develop the system.
Using a NeXT computer — which would ultimately become the world’s first internet server — Berners-Lee wrote the three programs that remain the foundation of today’s web: HTML, HTTP, and URI (later known as URL). He published the first web page and chose a name for the system: the World Wide Web. Then, on August 6, 1991, Berners-Lee published a short summary of his WWW software on an internet newsgroup for hypertext enthusiasts. As interest spread, CERN invited collaborators, sharing access with other institutions and, not long after, the general public. Within a matter of years, Berners-Lee’s invention had revolutionized the way humans communicate. The creation of the web is now considered one of the most transformational events in human history.
