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We take a look back at 10 Web moments that changed the world.
| 1 |
The Dotcom Boom and Bust (1995-2001)
Launched by Netscape's IPO, the Boom & Bust
fast-tracked the Web
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Launched by Netscape's IPO in
1995, the dotcom boom spurred trillions of dollars in
private investments into the Internet, new technologies,
marketing, and fiber optic cable and led to the development
of such landmark sites as Google. Though now often
synonymous with failures like Pets.com and Boo.com, the
dotcom boom and bust was critical to fast-tracking the
spread and popularity of the Internet. In 1995, there were
16 million people online. Today, there are over 957 million. |
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| 2 |
The Drudge Report Breaks Lewinsky Scandal (1998)
Matt Drudge Scoops one of the decade's biggest
stories
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The Drudge Report, a little-known, one-man
news site, beat the mainstream media on one of the decade's
biggest stories when it broke the Monica Lewinsky scandal
online. The Drudge scoop paved the way for the blogging
revolution and foreshadowed future online coups. |
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| 3 |
Amazon's Jeff Bezos Named Time's Man of the Year
(December 1999)
1999 Was A Watershed Year for Online Commerce
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The 1999 holiday shopping season marked the
turning point when consumers put aside their misgivings and
embraced online shopping in a big way. Online retailers
ended the year with a 50% increase in holiday sales and one
of their own, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, was named Time's Man of
the Year. |
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| 4 |
Elections Worldwide (2004)
Howard Dean Revolutionizes Politics
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From Ukraine's Orange Revolution, where the
Internet and cell phones were used to circumvent state-run
media and mobilize massive protests, to Howard Dean's
groundbreaking use of the Internet to engage voters and
raise millions, the web decentralized the political process
in 2004, giving democracy around the world a much-needed
shot in the arm. |
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| 5 |
September 11th (2001)
Millions of Americans Turn to the Internet for
Information About the Tragedies
Photo by
Jackie Fritsche
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Modern global conflicts are defined by the
medium that documents them: WW2 through radio; Vietnam
through TV; and the first Gulf War through 24-hour cable
news. For the Internet, it was September 11, 2001. In
historic numbers, citizens worldwide turned to email and the
web to reach loved ones, follow the unfolding crisis,
grieve, mobilize, and monitor the world's reaction. |
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| 6 |
Asian Tsunami (2005)
Citizens Journalists Are the First on the Scene
to Document the Tsunami
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With news agencies racing to reach the
hardest hit areas, the first accounts of the disaster were
largely provided by ordinary people armed only with digital
cameras and internet access. The 7/7 London terror attacks
and Hurricane Katrina, further spurred the ascension of
"citizen journalism" which can sometimes be more
immediate, passionate, and illuminating than professional
reporting. |
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| 7 |
Napster Shut Down (July 2001)
Court Ruling Spurs Innovation and New Business
Models
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Although the original services was shut down
by the courts in 2001, Napster opened the file-sharing
floodgates, turning the entertainment industry on its head,
sparking innovations from BitTorrent to iTunes, and forever
changing how we experience music and film. |
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| 8 |
Live 8 on AOL (July 2005)
Internet Coverage Of Global Concert Bests
Television's
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AOL bested TV at its game with its
groundbreaking coverage of the worldwide Live 8 concerts.
With more than 5 million people tuning into the online
coverage, Live 8 represented the Web's evolution from
amusing novelty (Mahir's I Kiss You and The Dancing Baby) to
a powerful entertainment medium. |
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| 9 |
Match.com Booms (2002)
The Web Becomes the Primary Means for Making
Connections
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From 2001 to 2002, Match.com experienced an
over 175% increase in both members and revenue, proving that
online dating had become an accepted fact of life for
singles worldwide. With the 2002 launch of social networking
communities like Friendster - and later MySpace - and the
global expansion of Craigslist, the Web became the primary
means for making connections for everything from love and
friendship to jobs and apartments. |
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| 10 |
SARS Virus Discovered Online (2003)
Web Plays Central Role in Research to Discover
SARS Virus
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When the fatal new disease first broke and
traveling was restricted, the World Health Organization
(WHO) used the Web to connect scientists from 14 countries,
who worked in real-time to share data and test results,
ultimately discovering the virus in one month. On a
different scale, sites like Wikipedia and Flickr demonstrate
how strangers around the world now use the Web to
collaborate on projects both big and small. |
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