Why it matters
The web transformed communication, commerce, publishing, research and political life.
- Date
- 1991
- Historical setting
- Digital & Global Age · Global
- People & communities
- Tim Berners-Lee · CERN collaborators · global users
1991 · Global · Technology
A shared information system built at CERN helped turn the internet into a public medium.
Atlas dossier · Digital & Global AgeFree device narration · synchronized English captions · transcript available
Why it matters

A shared information system built at CERN helped turn the internet into a public medium.

Tim Berners-Lee · CERN collaborators · global users

The web transformed communication, commerce, publishing, research and political life.
Interpretation note
This dossier distinguishes the event’s basic chronology from later arguments about meaning, responsibility and legacy. When comparing religious, national, Indigenous or scholarly interpretations, consult the primary and institutional sources above alongside peer-reviewed historical work.
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