Name: The World Wide Web Celebrates its 30th Birthday
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The World Wide Web revolutionized the way we use the internet. Before it existed, the internet was mostly used by scientists and engineers to share information.

Without it, you wouldn't be able to watch this video.

The World Wide Web revolutionized the way we use the internet. Before it existed, the internet was mostly used by scientists and engineers to share information.

The World Wide Web Celebrates its 30th Birthday

World Wide Web Celebrates its 30th Birthday

Without it, you wouldn't be able to watch this video.

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The World Wide Web Celebrates its 30th BirthdayPublished: March 20, 2019Onscreen: The World Wide Web is 30 years old. In 1989, engineer and computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee wrote a proposal to link and share information across different computers.Ben Segal: We all dreamt this could be done, but I must say, when I saw his proposal I didn’t think this was going to do it.Onscreen: Before the web, the internet was mostly text primarily used by scientists and researchers.Segal: In those days, all the computers were different. The data inside of them was all jumbled up in different ways. It seemed to be impossible to get everybody to agree enough to make this work. He was right, though. He was right. They did agree on a few simple things. It was a miracle.Onscreen: The web would open the internet up to everyone. It allowed anyone to access information online.Ayanna Howard: The internet, like connections, it existed but it was big businesses, government and things like that whereas the World Wide Web was basically making the internet accessible to the world.Onscreen: The first website went live in 1991, paving the way for everything from Amazon to cat videos.Maria Klawe: At its best, what I think it is is an opportunity to share just a vast array of ideas, information, stories, just everything and share it very broadly.Segal: We dreamt that we would connect the world and we did, but we connected the bad stuff as well. I regret that the dark internet is such a size. We’re hoping that some smart young people will get together and solve some of these problems. It’s very, very easy to destroy and it’s very, very hard to build, particularly when things are chaining so quickly.Howard: Now the World Wide Web has really equalized the playing field for access to knowledge. Anyone who has access can have a better life, can have better opportunities.Klawe: Happy birthday, World Wide Web! I’m so proud of you.Howard: Happy birthday, World Wide Web! Without you, I think our lives would be horrible.Segal: Happy birthday to the web. Happy birthday to Tim and the pioneers who believed that we could connect the world and we did.

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The World Wide Web Celebrates its 30th Birthday

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