World Wide Web and open standards · United Kingdom · 1955–
Tim Berners-Lee Life & Career Timeline
A universal information space built from open protocols, links and shared standards.
18 MomentsGet your own timeline now — free
19551966197719881999201020212026
TBTim Berners-LeeWorld Wide Web and open standards · United Kingdom
← Drag, scroll or swipe through the timeline →
About this timeline
About Tim Berners-Lee
Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web at CERN and has spent decades defending interoperability, accessibility and user control.
Page updated
Choose any Moment on the timeline to read its story, see why it matters and continue to the original source. Connected Moments open the other person’s timeline.
This public timeline is created and maintained by Memmie Editorial Team.
Tim Berners-Lee biography
Tim Berners-Lee timeline: key events
Explore 18 documented Moments in chronological order. Read the dates, locations and source references below. Where available, additional context explains why a milestone matters.
Born in London
Timothy John Berners-Lee was born to mathematicians Mary Lee Woods and Conway Berners-Lee.
Source: www.w3.orgEnters Queen’s College
Berners-Lee studied physics and built a computer from spare parts and a television set.
Source: www.w3.orgGraduates from Oxford
He received a first-class physics degree and began work in telecommunications.
Source: www.w3.orgDevelops transaction software
At D. G. Nash, Berners-Lee worked on distributed systems and printer software.
Source: www.w3.orgConsultant at CERN
He created ENQUIRE, a personal hypertext program for linking information about people and projects.
Source: www.w3.orgReturns to CERN
As a fellow, he worked on networking and information exchange among varied computer systems.
Source: www.w3.orgProposes the World Wide Web
His “Information Management: A Proposal” combined hypertext with the internet.
Source: home.cernBuilds the first web tools
Berners-Lee implemented the first server, browser-editor and core formats on a NeXT computer.
Connected: Steve Jobs
Source: home.cernFirst website goes online
The site at info.cern.ch explained the web project and how to create pages and servers.
Source: info.cern.chWeb announced publicly
Berners-Lee posted an introduction to the WorldWideWeb project on an internet newsgroup.
Source: www.w3.orgCERN releases web software freely
The public-domain release allowed anyone to use and improve the technology without royalties.
Source: home.cernW3C founded
Berners-Lee established the World Wide Web Consortium to develop open, interoperable standards.
Source: www.w3.orgWeaving the Web published
The book described the web’s creation and a vision of universal, collaborative information.
Source: www.w3.orgKnighted
Queen Elizabeth II knighted Berners-Lee for services to the global development of the internet.
Source: www.w3.orgWorld Wide Web Foundation launched
The foundation focused on access, rights and the web as a public good.
Source: www.w3.orgAppears at London Olympics
At the opening ceremony, Berners-Lee typed “This is for everyone,” projected around the stadium.
Source: www.w3.orgReceives the Turing Award
The ACM honoured his invention of the web, first browser and protocols enabling its scale.
Source: awards.acm.orgDevelops Solid and Inrupt
Berners-Lee has promoted personal data pods and interoperable control of data through the Solid project and Inrupt.
Source: www.w3.orgExplore related timelines
This educational timeline is not endorsed by or affiliated with Tim Berners-Lee or their representatives. Event text is original editorial copy based on the linked sources.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · Licence shown on source file
Schools, fan clubs & cultural organisations
Help maintain this public story.
Bring knowledge, archives and a community together around a carefully sourced timeline.
Quick answers
About the Tim Berners-Lee timeline
Who is Tim Berners-Lee?
Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web at CERN and has spent decades defending interoperability, accessibility and user control.
How many moments are included?
This public timeline currently contains 18 sourced moments spanning 1955–.
Who maintains this timeline?
This public timeline is created and maintained by Memmie Editorial Team. Schools, clubs and cultural organisations can apply to become timeline partners.
Your life deserves its own story.
Bring your photographs, videos and most important Moments together in one beautiful timeline.
Start your own life story now — free