Thirty years ago, a young computer expert working at CERN combined ideas about accessing information with a desire for broad connectivity and openness. Sir Tim Bernes-Lee’s proposal became the World Wide Web. CERN celebrated the 30th anniversary of this revolutionary invention with a special day on 12 March.
On the morning, the Web@30 event at CERN kicked off celebrations around the world. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Robert Cailliau and other Web pioneers and experts shared their views on the challenges and opportunities brought by the Web. Opened by Fabiola Gianotti, CERN’s Director-General, the event was being organised by CERN in collaboration with two organisations founded by Berners-Lee: the World Wide Web Foundation(link is external) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)(link is external).
A recording and photos of the event are available on the Web30 website.
Later that day, a public event was held at the Globe of Science and Innovation featuring a screening of the the documentary "ForEveryone.net" followed by a discussion moderated by Bruno Giussani - Chairman of the FIFDH and Global Curator of the TED conference - with some of the actors who witnessed and participated in the creation of the World Wide Web:
- Peggie Rimmer - Tim Berners-Lee’s supervisor at CERN from 1984 to 1990
- Ben Segal, Internet promoter at CERN and Tim Berners-Lee’s mentor
- Jean-François Groff, early Web pioneer who collaborated closely with Tim Berners-Lee
- François Flückiger, Internet promotor in Europe, his responsibilities at CERN have included the management of its World Wide Web team after the departure of Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee
Organised by CERN in collaboration with the FIFDH Film Festival, CineGlobe and the Commune de Meyrin, the event gathered about 200 passionate users of this powerful tool invented here at CERN.
Photos and recording (French only) available on https://indico.cern.ch/e/Web30-public.