On 12 March we celebrate an event which has both historically changed the world and is key to creating and empowering its future.

In March 1989, while at CERN, Tim Berners-Lee wrote his memo “Information Management: A Proposal” which outlined the World Wide Web.

Today we celebrate a Web that is:

Universal, International and truly “World Wide”.

Available on any device, for any type of information, in any language.

Accessible by people with disabilities.

Decentralised.

Royalty-free.

Built on open standards.

Arrived at via collaboration and consensus.

Powerful – The Open Web Platform makes Web pages themselves powerful tools.

Not limited to the browser but now the “Web of Everything”.

Transformational for how business gets done; improving delivery, enhancing user satisfaction, and reducing cost.

W3C CEO Jeff Jaffe noted: “There are very few innovations that have truly changed everything. The Web is the most impactful innovation of our time. Tim created the W3C so that all stakeholders in the Web can collectively be stewards of the Web. We are focused on the future of the Web and, with our Members and the public, are building a Web which is more secure; more responsive to user needs; more powerful for business needs; and more universally accessible.”

In a Web Foundation letter on the anniversary Tim states: “I remain committed to making sure the web is a free, open, creative space — for everyone. That vision is only possible if we get everyone online, and make sure the web works for people.” Tim continues: “Today, I want to challenge us all to have greater ambitions for the web. I want the web to reflect our hopes and fulfill our dreams, rather than magnify our fears and deepen our divisions.”

Tim also notes: “As the late internet activist John Perry Barlow, once said: “a good way to invent the future is to predict it”. It may sound utopian, it may sound impossible to achieve after the setbacks of the last two years, but I want us to imagine that future and build it.” This is inspiring, indeed; both generally but also for the W3C and the Web.

W3C is grateful to its Director and founder Tim Berners-Lee for his incredibly powerful and innovative invention. Today we celebrate our history with the Web as well as its future as, together with our members, editors and contributors, we are helping to shape what it will become.

If you feel so inclined, join us in celebrating by sharing in comment your Web success story, or write your own blog post, or tweet about #HappyBirthdayWWW.

Happy 29th Web anniversary!