5 Fast Facts About the World Wide Web on Its 30th Birthday万维网30年：小知识一览

米歇尔·德贝克扎克

Though the World Wide Web has only been around for a few decades， it’s practically impossible to imagine life without it today. In honor of its 30th birthday， here are some facts about the system that keeps the world connected1.

1. The World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.

Thirty years ago， CERN2 computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee proposed an idea for a database of hypertext links that would allow people to send data and communicate across a network. Berners-Lee wasn’t looking to transform modern life when he invented the World Wide Web; he had just gotten tired of having to switch computers whenever he needed to access information that wasn’t on his main work computer.

2. There’s a difference between the internet and the World Wide Web.

Though the terms are often used interchangeably， the internet and the World Wide Web are not the same. Many experts peg3 the start of the internet to September 2， 1969， when a team of computer scientists at UCLA got two computers to send data to each other through a network for the first time. Twenty years later， the World Wide Web made this technology user-friendly and accessible to the public.

3. The world’s first website is still online.

Many websites from the early days of the Web have gone dark4， but the first one is still live. Berners-Lee brought the site online from a lab in the Swiss Alps in 1991. Even though it looks primitive， the site has actually been updated from its original state several times.

4. The first image ever uploaded is very ’90s.

In 1992， Berners-Lee needed a photo to test out the World Wide Web’s new image-hosting capabilities. An IT developer shot a photograph of a comedy band， Les Horribles Cernettes5， which was comprised of other CERN employees at the Swiss lab where they worked. When the picture was uploaded， it made history as the first image ever shared on the Web.

5. Berners-Lee has mixed feelings about his invention today.

Over the past 30 years， Berners-Lee has watched his creation evolve into a force he could have never envisioned. In an open letter published to mark the World Wide Web’s 30th birthday， he wrote， “while the web has created opportunity， given marginalized groups a voice， and made our daily lives easier， it has also created opportunity for scammers， given a voice to those who spread hatred， and made all kinds of crime easier to commit.”6 He urged people to fight to minimize the negative consequences of the Web， such as harassment， polarizing discourse， and the spread of misinformation.

万维网创立不过短短几十年，而如今人们却很难想象离开它要怎么生活。庆祝万维网诞生30周年之际，在此分享一些有关万维网的小知识。

1. 万维网是蒂姆·伯纳斯-李于1989年发明的。

30年前，欧洲核子研究组织计算机科学家蒂姆·伯纳斯-李构想出了一种超文本链接数据库，使人们可以通过网络发送数据并进行通讯。伯纳斯-李发明万维网时并未指望它改变现代生活，他只是受够了每次读取储存在非主工作计算机上的数据时还须进行切换罢了。

2. 万维网有别于互联网。

虽然“万维网”和“互联网”两个词经常互相替换使用，但二者却并不相同。许多专家认定互联网诞生于1969年9月2日，当天一组加州大学洛杉矶分校的计算机科学家首次实现了两台计算机间经由网络的信息互传。20年后，万维网将互联网技术发展得更为人性化、大众化。

3. 全球首个网站如今仍然在线。

许多早期出现的网站早已不可访问，但第一个网站至今仍在服务。1991年，伯纳斯-李在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的实验室里上线了该网站。尽管看起来很原始，该网站从初始状态发展至今却历经了数次更新。

4. 第一张上传到网络的图片极具1990年代风格。

1992年，伯纳斯-李需要一张照片来测试全新的万维网图片存储功能。当时，一些和他一起在瑞士实验室工作的欧洲核子研究组织员工成立了一支幽默乐队，名为Les Horribles Cernettes，一名信息技术开发人员为他们拍摄了一张照片。而这张照片上传到网络后，就成为了首张通过万维网分享的照片并载入史册。

5. 时至今日，伯纳斯-李的发明让他喜忧参半。

过去的30年间，伯纳斯-李目睹了他的发明演变出超乎想象的力量。他在纪念万维网诞生30周年的公开信中写道：“万维网创造了不少机遇，大大提高了生活便捷程度，也让边缘化人群得到发声的机会;但同时，网络上骗子横行，有些人借机煽动仇恨，而且各种各样的犯罪行为也变得更加容易。”他敦促人们尽力减少万维网的负面影响，如网络骚擾、极端言论和信息误传等。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手）