CERN: On the trail of the World Wide Web

Imagine you could travel back to 1989 and make a suggestion to a scientist at CERN that would change the internet forever. That’s exactly what Tim Berners-Lee did when he presented his supervisor with an idea that laid the foundations for the modern World Wide Web.

But what is CERN and why is it so important? CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, was founded in 1954 and is located on a 655-hectare site on the border between France and Switzerland. It is the world’s largest laboratory for particle physics and home to the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest particle accelerator.

In March 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, a young scientist at CERN, made a revolutionary proposal to his superior. He suggested developing a method that would make it possible to link and share documents on the Internet. This was the birth of the World Wide Web.

It took some time for Berners-Lee to get his idea accepted, but eventually the World Wide Web caught on and has changed the world ever since. Today, the internet is ubiquitous, from social media and e-commerce to online education and entertainment.

At CERN itself, the World Wide Web is ubiquitous. The organization operates one of the largest computer networks in the world, which is used by researchers all over the world. It also offers guided tours that introduce visitors to the world of particle physics and allow them to take a look behind the scenes of the famous laboratory.

Among other things, visitors can tour the Large Hadron Collider, take a tour of the Data Center or visit an exhibition that tells the story of CERN and the World Wide Web.

If you are interested in science and technology, then CERN is a must on your travel list.