The World Wide Web (WWW or simply “the Web”) is an information system that enables documents and resources to be accessed over the Internet through web browsers. Invented by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN in 1989, the Web transformed the Internet from a tool for specialists into a global platform for communication, commerce, and creativity.
Origins at CERN
In the late 1980s, CERN—the European particle physics laboratory in Geneva—faced a challenge: thousands of scientists from around the world needed to share data, but their computers used incompatible systems[1].
On March 12, 1989, Tim Berners-Lee submitted a proposal titled “Information Management: A Proposal” to address this problem. His manager, Mike Sendall, famously annotated it as “vague, but exciting.”
By December 1990, Berners-Lee and colleague Robert Cailliau had built all the components needed for a working Web:
- HTML (HyperText Markup Language) for creating documents
- HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) for transmitting them
- URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) for addressing them
- The first web browser (called WorldWideWeb, also an editor)
- The first web server (running on a NeXT computer)
The First Website
On December 20, 1990, the first website went live at info.cern.ch. It described the World Wide Web project itself—a fitting beginning for a system designed to share information[2].
On August 6, 1991, Berners-Lee announced the project publicly on the alt.hypertext newsgroup, inviting collaboration from around the world.
The Decision That Changed Everything
In April 1993, CERN made a pivotal decision: the Web’s underlying technology would be released royalty-free, forever[3]. This single act transformed the Web from a research project into a global phenomenon.
Without licensing fees or restrictions, anyone could build websites, create browsers, or develop new applications. The open Web sparked a wave of innovation that continues today.
Impact
The World Wide Web fundamentally changed human civilization:
- Information access: Knowledge that was once locked in libraries became instantly available worldwide
- Commerce: E-commerce revolutionized retail and created entirely new business models
- Communication: Social media, email, and instant messaging connected billions of people
- Democracy: Citizens gained new tools to organize, share information, and hold institutions accountable
- Education: Online learning made education accessible regardless of geography
Legacy
The Web’s design principles—openness, decentralization, and universal access—shaped not just a technology but a philosophy. Berners-Lee received the 2016 Turing Award “for inventing the World Wide Web, the first web browser, and the fundamental protocols and algorithms allowing the Web to scale.”
Today, over 5 billion people use the Web. What began as a solution for sharing physics data became the most transformative information technology since the printing press.
Sources
- CERN. “A short history of the Web.” Official account of the Web’s origins at CERN.
- CERN. “The birth of the Web.” Documents the first website and early development.
- World Wide Web Foundation. “History of the Web.” Describes the 1993 decision to make the Web royalty-free.