9 Facts About The World Wide Web You Probably Didn't Know

Google Homepage on 12th March 2019

We cannot ignore the fact that almost everybody on this planet (maybe the other planets too) uses the web. In fact, you’re reading this article because of the web. And today marks the 30 year anniversary of World Wide Web!

If you actually think about it, in today’s world we spend most of our socialising time on the web than in person. But a lot of us aren’t really aware of the basic knowledge about it. Like, did you know the internet and the web are not the same? Read on to find out why and how these two terms are different and many more such facts you probably didn’t know about the web!

1. Thank you, NeXT!

Tim Berners-Lee used his NeXT computer to invent the web. That very computer was the first web server in the world and is still available at CERN! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

2. Who’s The Boss Now?

Tim’s boss initially didn’t quite understand the concept of the World Wide Web when he proposed it to his boss. He also described the proposal and project as ‘vague but interesting.’

3. Same Same But Different!

The web and the internet are often mistaken as the same thing when in reality they’re not. Web actually means a collection of digital photos, animations, files, text pages, music, etc. On the other hand, the internet means the networking infrastructure that holds the responsibility for connecting millions of devices, like computers and phones, all over the world.

4. The Web Went Viral!

The web went on to become the world’s fastest growing medium of interaction and communication. It took 13 years for television to achieve the first 50 million users, 38 years for radio but just 5 years for the web!

5. Just Google It.

Google was launched in the year 1998.

6. First Of Its Kind.

The first ever website to go online was built in 1991 and still exists!

7. Guilty Of Still Using It.

The first ever emoticon was used by Kevin Mackenzie in 1979 and it used the characters -). It later got upgraded to :-) in 1982 by Scott Fahlman. The latter one went on to become the norm.

8. Wait, What!?

The first ever message to be transmitted using the internet precursor was LOG. The sender was actually trying to send the word LOGIN but the huge data load of the letter G resulted in the crash of the whole network.

9. Zoohoo!

The first ever YouTube video to be uploaded was on 23rd April 2005, titled ‘Me at the Zoo’. It featured Jawed Karim, who was a founder of San Diego Zoo.

Which of these facts did you not know about before reading this piece? Let us know in the comments below.