World's First Public Website Went Online 25 Years Ago
Everyone has birthdays and anniversaries, but not everyone considers them to be that significant. However, an occasion that is hard to argue as being anything but notable is the anniversary of the first webpage going live on the World Wide Web (remember when we used to call it that?). This weekend marks the 25th year for the first publicly-accessible webpage.
To say we've come a long way since that day on August 6th, 1991 would be an incredible understatement. By the mid-90s, many school computer labs began to gain internet access, and at around the same time, or not long after, home users began picking it up, too. Since then, we've moved away from our phone lines and into our broadband connections. But the net isn't just faster: it's more flexible, and in many cases, important. It helps us keep in contact with friends and family, pay our bills, and best of all: look at cat pictures.
Believe it or not, the first webpage ever put online is still online, and at the exact same address: http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html.
It's humorous to see the World Wide Web referred to as a "Project", when today it's become so intertwined in our lives, it's impossible to imagine a world without it. The Web's first page was mostly a guide on how to create your own webpage with a lot of information that really highlights how far we've come. Many of the recommended browsers were terminal-based, for example, and none of the names will ring a bell for most people. Ever hear of ViolaWWW or tkWWW? How about MidasWWW? That's gold, Jerry! GOLD!
We've come a long way since 1991; will we think the same thing 10 or 25 years from now? It almost seems certain, as it's bound to change in ways we might not even be expecting. That can either be considered exciting or scary; we'll have to wait and see what's coming.
