Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee at MIT (https://eecs-newsletter.mit.edu/articles/2011-spri ())

Timothy Berners-Lee is a man who did a lot for the world yet isn't very well known. He created something that we use every day. Using his skills in computer programing, he created the code for HTTP and HTML that he used to create the World Wide Web. Berners-Lee, who now works at MIT, was born in Europe. "Born in London in 1955, Timothy J. Berners-Lee is the son of two mathematicians who worked on the first commercially sold computers" ("Timothy Berners-Lee." Gale ). Because Berners-Lee was raised by people in the field of computers, it is not surprising that he was also interested in the field ("Who Is Tim Berners-Lee? Everything You Need to Know"). Tim later joined CERN to create computer software. "In 1994 Berners-Lee left CERN for a position at the Laboratory for Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he founded the World Wide Web Consortium, a loose-knit collection of Web, hardware, and software firms as well as other interested parties" ("Timothy Berners-Lee." Gale ). At MIT, Tim Berners-Lee is working to keep the internet free and out of control of the government for the benefit of everyone. A hero is someone who does something great for people, someone who fights for people and is charitable for the good of everyone. Timothy Berners-Lee is considered an inspirational hero because of how he used his intelligence to give to the world, and how generous he was with his humanitarian actions.

Tim Berners-Lee sitting by his computers. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/08/06/the-worlds-first-website-went-online-25-years-ago-t)

Tim Berners-Lee used his high intelligence to create programs that helped advance our technology. As a child, Lee was interested in computers, and he used his curiosity for computers to help get him into a college; "As a teenager, Berners-Lee read science fiction voraciously and was fascinated with Arthur C. Clarke's short story "Dial F for Frankenstein," in which computers are networked together to form a living, breathing human brain. It was only a short step from this type of fiction to his study of physics and computers at Oxford University's Queen's College. There he built his first computer..." ("Tim Berners-Lee." Encyclopedia). Lee's intelligence allowed him to get into a college, which progressed Lee's efforts to get into the computer field. This shows Lee as having a high intelligence since he was able to make it into a great college that was hard to get into at the time. "On the original Internet, there were no easy ways to retrieve data. But Berners-Lee developed software that contained processes for encoding documents (HTML, hypertext markup language), linking them (HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol), and addressing them (URL, universal resource locator). Documents could then be linked worldwide" ("Tim Berners-Lee." Encyclopedia). Tim Berners-Lee used his intelligence to create software that we all take for granted today. Heroes are people who use their intelligence to benefit others. Berners-Lee used his intelligence and knowledge gained at Oxford to create software such as HTTP and HTML that were used in creating a new internet, proving him to be a hero.

Tim-Berners-Lee shared what he created, to everyone for free, and is a hero based on his humanitarian actions. "He posted this software, free of charge to anyone who wanted it, on the Internet...The Web has become a way for many businesses to sell themselves or their products and has made money for some computer scientists. Berners-Lee, however, refused to cash in on his invention. He remained a conscientious scientist, and an advocate for using the Web as a way to link the world for the benefit of all" ("Tim Berners-Lee." Encyclopedia). Berners-Lee believed that anyone who wanted to use the internet deserved to use it free of any payments. He felt that instead of making a fortune selling his products, he would let everyone benefit from his advancement to technology. He also wanted everyone to use it without any restrictions nor anyone to own it. "As Joshua Quittner noted in Time, 'The World Wide Web is Berners-Lee's alone. He designed it. He loosed it on the world. And he more than anyone else has fought to keep it open, nonproprietary and free'" ("Tim Berners-Lee." Contemporary). Lee fought hard to keep the internet open, and to avoid it from being controlled by any governments or companies. He acts as a humanitarian by giving the world something great and fighting to keep it open for people to use it without anyone restricting them access. Lee's humanitarian efforts and actions proved that he is a true hero.

Timothy Berners Lee is an inspirational hero due to how well his intelligence was used to advance our technology. He was also a humanitarian with his generosity and willingness to fight to keep the internet free and open for all. Tim Berners-Lee has been shown as a boy whose interest in computers lead to his creation of HTTP, HTML, and the World Wide Web. He gave his creation to the world for free and fought to keep it open and restriction free for everyone. "Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the software program known as the World Wide Web in 1989, is a scientist in the true sense of the word--idealistic, interested in the pure pursuit of knowledge, and uncomfortable in the media spotlight. Yet his invention, which provides an easy way to access the Internet, has made a huge impact on modern business and communications. Some experts claim that the World Wide Web revolutionized the ability of computer users around the world to connect to each other" ("Tim Berners-Lee." Encyclopedia). Tim Berners-Lee has been shown to be an inspiration through what he did for the world. Not only did he create a free tool for everyone's use, but he was humble about it and kept working on it to better humanity. Overall, it is evident that Timothy Berners-Lee is a man that did good in the world and that we should all take inspiration from. We can't all create technology that will change the world, but we can change the world for the better by allowing people everywhere the opportunity to use tools that can better themselves.

Works Cited

"Tim Berners-Lee." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2005. Biography in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000134601/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=5e6ad6c3.

Accessed 3 May 2017.

"Tim Berners-Lee." Encyclopedia of World Biography, vol. 20, Gale, 2000. Biography in

Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631007453/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=408b687a.

Accessed 1 May 2017.

"Timothy Berners-Lee." Gale Encyclopedia of E-Commerce, edited by Jane A. Malonis, Gale,

2002. Biography in Context,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2428100007/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=5577d810.

Accessed 3 May 2017.

"Who Is Tim Berners-Lee? Everything You Need to Know." Childhood, Life Achievements &

Timeline, The Famous People,

www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/tim-berners-lee-5475.php. Accessed 4 May 2017.