Robert Cailliau -Dinner@Dana: Birth of the World Wide Web July 11, 2007

It’s not every day that you meet someone who revolutionised your life. Rarer still is someone who achieved this for populations on a global scale. Meet Robert Cailliau.

According to web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, ‘In the marriage of hypertext and the Internet, Robert was the best man.’ In 1989, when convincing others of the excitement of the web was an uphill struggle, Cailliau was its ultimate evangelist. His ‘genius for spreading the gospel’ and a fastidious eye for detail complemented Berners-Lee’s creative grand vision. Together, they formed a synergetic partnership to bring an ambitious idea into our everyday reality.

In the grand finale of a series of Dinner@Dana with speakers from CERN (the European laboratory for particle physics in Switzerland, and the place where the web was born), hear the first-hand account of how Berners-Lee, Cailliau and other collaborators fought passionately for the web and nurtured its development. Theirs was not the only idea around at the time, so how did they succeed where many others failed? Also, find out why the web still has some way to go before achieving Berners-Lee’s original vision.

Tickets cost £15, which includes a two-course meal and a drink.

Dinner@Dana is part of the Café Scientifique network. Meetings aim to stay outside of the traditional academic context by creating a relaxed and informal atmosphere in which to discuss scientific issues. These Cafés provide a place for everyone to explore the latest ideas in science, technology and medicine.
Speaker

Robert Cailliau, original co-developer of the World Wide Web

To book:
Call 020 7942 4040 or e-mail [email protected]

The Dana Centre and d.café are licensed premises open only to those aged 18 or over.

Official Website: http://www.danacentre.org.uk/events/2007/07/11/307