Happy 30th Birthday to …

In 1989, a British scientist called Tim Berners-Lee had an idea that changed the world. Working as a scientist with CERN in Switzerland, he found it difficult to share information with his colleagues. He made it his mission to solve this problem, and came up with a presentation: “Information Management: A Proposal”. His boss at the time called his idea “vague and exciting” … little did he know that it would become the most important invention in modern history.

This year, the World Wide Web is thirty years old. For young people, life before The Web can be impossible to imagine! Funny videos of cats … memes … online gaming … e-mails … the research for your history essay … they’re all on The Web! Today there are 2 billion websites … and 55.1% of people use the internet!

Jeff Jaffe, CEO of the World Wide Web Consortium, made a statement last week: “there are very few innovations that have truly changed everything. The Web is the most impactful innovation of our time.”

But has this change been for better or for worse? Tim Berners-Lee wrote in an open letter about his disappointment about the state of the World Wide Web today: “While the web has created opportunity, given marginalised groups a voice and made our daily lives easier,” he writes, “it has also created opportunity for scammers, given a voice to those who spread hatred and made all kinds of crime easier to commit.

You can read Tim Berners-Lee’s open letter about the World Wide Web’s 30th birthday here.

Which websites do you use most for your homework?

Which animal makes a web? Why did Tim Berners-Lee choose this word?

What do the letters ‘www.’ stand for?

CHALLENGE: Answer this question … but don’t use the internet!

• Who was the king or queen of England in 1626?

How did you find your answer? Comment below!

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