Internet Facts from Start to 2000

1945Pizza Hut initiates an online ordering system.
Vannevar Bush writes As We May Think for theJerry Yang and David Filo, doctoral candidates at
July issue of The Atlantic Monthly suggesting aStanford University, create a guide to Internet
system of automated information access in whichSites and by 1998, this guide Yahoo! is the most
all materials are "associatively indexed".1960visited site on the Web.
Project Xanadu is initiated by Ted Nelson withMark Pesce and Tony Parisi create Labyrinthe, a
the purpose of creating a "docuverse" in which all3-D Web interface and within the year, Virtual
written documents are interconnected andReality Modeling Language (VRML) programming
cross-referenced.1965language supporting graphical animation of virtual
Nelson, who is part genius and part mad scientist,spaces is created.1995
coins the terms hypertext and hypermedia.1980America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, and other
Tim Berners-Lee, a scientist at the Europeanonline companies begin to offer access to the
Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), writesWeb.
Enquire-Within-Upon-Everything (ENQUIRE), aNetscape goes public, serving up the 3rd largest
program allowing the hyper linking of files storedinitial public stock offering ever and launching a
on multiple computers in a network.1989technology boom that has yet to end.
Berners-Lee proposed a global hypertext projectMicrosoft, downplaying the importance of the
that would connect an infinite number of digitalWWW, decides to create its own online service,
documents around the world.1990the Microsoft Network (MSN). However, the
Berners-Lee develops the first browser, a Whatservice fails to live up to expectations and at
You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG)year's end Bill Gates holds a summit to disclose
hypertext reader.Microsoft's future plans for the Web.1996
The World Wide Web as Berners-Lee decided toMicrosoft releases Microsoft Internet Explorer
call it, is launched at CERN headquarters on aand the "browser wars" begin.
NeXT computer, but is only accessible to thoseThe Communications Decency Act becomes law
who have access to the CERN system.1991in an attempt to limit the distribution of obscene
The World Wide Web hits the Internet and theand pornographic materials on the Web.1997 -
first web files appear at alt.hypertext,1999
comp.sys.next, comp.txt.sgml, andNetscape releases the Communicator Suite of
comp.mail.multi-media.Internet products with Communicator including a
Java is brewed at Sun Microsystems. Though thisWeb Browser, E-Mail application, newsgroup
programming language was originally developedreader, web page editor, and a conferencing
for the purpose of creating embeddedapplication.
applications, in 1994 Sun shifted Java to the WebMicrosoft counters with Microsoft Internet
where it revolutionized the way Web sites areExplorer 4.0 which includes the Active Desktop,
designed.1992making the Web an integrated part of the
The phrase Surfing the Internet is coined byWindows operating system.
Jean Amour Polly.The Department of Justice takes Microsoft to
PointCast Inc begins to offer its news andcourt over Internet Explorer, claiming Microsoft
information service to corporate networks. Thehad violated the terms of a 1994 consent decree
service used push technology to transmit specificby integrating Internet Explorer into the Windows
information to end-users. Then in 1996 push95 operating system.
technology will become a key driver in InternetPortals become the range on the Web with
development.1993Yahoo!, Netscape, and Excite offering the most
The National Center for Supercomputingpopular.
Applications (NASA) releases Mosaic, the firstNetscape announces its Navigator and
graphical Web Browser. Mosaic was written byCommunicator products are available as free
Marc Andreessen, a University of Illinois atdownloads on the Internet.
Urbana-Champaign undergraduate, who as legendMicrosoft counters with free downloads of it's
has it, sustained himself on Skittles and Mountainbrowser programs.
Dew while writing it.The Web is more popular than ever with 82%
The New York Times and The Economist beginof respondents to a poll by the Georgia Tech
to announce the appearance of the World WideResearch Corp claiming the Web is an
Web.indispensable technology.
Traffic on the Web grows by 341,634%.1994December 1999 the Department of Justice
Andreessen partners with Jim Clark, founder andannounces its decision regarding Microsoft's
former chair of the board at Silicon Graphics, toOperating System and Browser integration.2000
create Netscape Communications Corp.January 2000 Bill Gates announces his resignation
The Netscape Navigator 1.0 browser is releasedas CEO and CFO of Microsoft and his return to
the same year.software development.Anand Nadar - Web
First International World Wide Web Conference isDesigner and SEO Expert.
held in Geneva, Switzerland at CERN.