Tim Berners Lee Biography
Inventor of World Wide Web
Posted on January 24, 2011 by Jamie Slaughter, with 11361 views
Tim Berners Lee has invented something which affects us all on a daily basis, and something which we take for granted, despite being a relatively new concept. Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web.
Born on June 8th, 1955 in London, England, Tim was the child of two computer-mad parents, who both met whilst working on a computer to be commercially sold for the first time. This passion rubbed off on Tim as he matured, encouraging him to think logically and innovatively. He studied at the Queen's College at Oxford University.
At 21 years of age, he began working on his own computer using equipment lying around his home. His job at Plessey Telecommunications Ltd., included working with bar code technology and messaging systems all of would soon contribute to his world changing idea.
Time Berners Lee Internet voyage began at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, in Geneva, in 1980 where he invented the language which we still use today to create web pages, Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML). The first web page was located at info.cern.ch, where the theories behind his idea were detailed. The site was a directory, search engine and website all wrapped up in one. All the tools were already at his disposal, but it was Lee who pieced them all together to produce a working solution.
The concept of the Internet stemmed from a program Lee had written called "Enquire Within Upon Everything". It is because of this man that the entire world remains connected, but Lee did not benefit financially from this invention, failing to even consider filing for a patent. He founded the W3C in 1994, the World Wide Web Consortium, in Massachusetts where he is the Director. The purpose of this organisation is to ensure the Web grows to its full potential and remains stable.
Tim Berners Lee is not globally well known, but has won numerous technological wards on both a national and international level. For example, in 1995, Tim Berners Lee won the award for "Young Innovator of the Year" courtesy of the Kilby Foundation. He has also received awards in both America and Japan.
The British have honoured Lee by giving him a Knighthood. In 2004, he was given the rank of Knight Commander. He received the title of Greatest Briton in 2005, for displaying the main British qualities of "diffidence, determination, a sharp sense of humour and adaptability."
Lee is not the kind of man to revel in the spotlight, but prefers to keep a low profile and spend time with his wife, Nancy Carlson and their two children. He will long be remembered as the man who invented the Internet and as the Web continues to grow, it will all be as a result of Tim Berners Lee fantastic idea.