Over time, there have been many moments in the history of the Web that have been notable milestones. Some of these milestones may happen to be a little on the more unusual side, but still they show just how far the World Wide Web has come. Here are a few of those moments:
1. Free Technology – In 1993, a big decision was made to make the web programming code accessible and free. The effect this had was rapid growth for the Internet since more people were able to work and build it up, sort of like open source software. Without this monumental decision at this time, the Internet might not be the information highway that it is today.
2. First Webcam – Through the need to make their own office life a bit easier, Cambridge University initiated the first webcam in 1993. What did they broadcast? A coffee pot! Instead of walking up numerous stairs to be disappointed finding the pot empty, they simply had to check the webcam.
3. Banner Ads – A website wouldn’t be a website without them – banner ads. The first of these website adornments hit the Web in 1994 and set the tone for Web marketing as we know it now. Today, banner ads can be for anything from electronics to conferences, but the very first banner ads were simply for AT&T, a technology company, and Zima, an alcoholic drink.
4. Big Domain Sales – Acquiring domain names became big business in the 90s leading to some rather large sales for this virtual property. In 1997, business.com passed in a transaction for $150,000 fully displaying just how important Internet realty had become. Of course, this sale has nothing on the multi-million dollar ones in more recent times, such as insure.com that just sold for $16 million in 2009.
5. Weblog Named – “Weblog” is a word that entered the world as said by Jorn Barger, a Web commentator, in 1997. It was later shortened to simply “blog” by Peter Merholz in a joking procedure of breaking the word up into “we” and “blog” on his website. It’s funny to think that someone’s simple play on words can become one of the biggest additions to our current technological vocabulary.
6. First Google Office – Everyone has to start somewhere, right? It just so happens that once Google decided that their Stanford University efforts were worth it, they opened up their very first office in 1998… in a garage. Despite less than professional early days, Google shows us that there’s nowhere a good idea, and an even better algorithm, can’t get you.
7. First Podcast – The first podcast occurred in 2001 after the proper RSS enclosures were invented in order to allow this form of audioblogging to work. As a demonstration, the first podcast was actually a Grateful Dead song embedded into the Scripting News blog.
8. The Pope Emails – Also occurring in 2001 was the time the first email was sent by a pope. Even Pope John Paul II found a need to use electronic email, a medium which has led to the current pope having his very own public email address.
9. Popular Searches – Do the words “wardrobe malfunction” ring a bell? You might recall an incident back in 2004 involving both Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl. After her little clothing mishap, Janet Jackson’s chest became the most searched for image in the history of Web searches.
10. Knighthood – Tim Berners Lee, the man said to have invented the Web, was granted knighthood in 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. I’m guessing the day you gain this fancy title is the day you know you’ve done something pretty huge.
Do you know any fun facts regarding the history of the Web? If so, share below.
