The Invention of the World Wide Web

An illustrated inventions story from Wonder Inventions — free to read, with narration.

The Invention of the World Wide Web — an illustrated inventions story, set in Global. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Inventions.

The Invention of the World Wide Web — book cover — Wonder Inventions
The Invention of the World Wide Web — an illustrated inventions story, set in Global. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Inventions.

Page 1

Amir kicked a loose stone down the overgrown street, the vine-covered skyscrapers looming above him.
Amir kicked a loose stone down the overgrown street, the vine-covered skyscrapers looming above him.

Amir kicked a loose stone down the overgrown street, the vine-covered skyscrapers looming above him.

Page 2

Back in Amir's room, filled with holographic star charts and disassembled gadgets, Arjun watched as Amir grabbed his glowing, leather-bound Invention…
Back in Amir's room, filled with holographic star charts and disassembled gadgets, Arjun watched as Amir grabbed his glowing, leather-bound Invention Encyclopedia.

Back in Amir's room, filled with holographic star charts and disassembled gadgets, Arjun watched as Amir grabbed his glowing, leather-bound Invention Encyclopedia.

Page 3

"Whoa!" Amir exclaimed, clutching his notebook as they landed with a thump. They found themselves in a brightly lit office, filled with humming computers.
"Whoa!" Amir exclaimed, clutching his notebook as they landed with a thump. They found themselves in a brightly lit office, filled with humming computers. "1989? What is this place, CERN?" Arjun peered at a sign. A young man rushed past, juggling papers and muttering, "'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,' as Lao Tzu said, but my journey of getting this code to work feels endless!"

"Whoa!" Amir exclaimed, clutching his notebook as they landed with a thump. They found themselves in a brightly lit office, filled with humming computers. "1989? What is this place, CERN?" Arjun peered at a sign. A young man rushed past, juggling papers and muttering, "'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,' as Lao Tzu said, but my journey of getting this code to work feels endless!"

Page 4

A man with kind eyes and messy hair approached them.
A man with kind eyes and messy hair approached them.

A man with kind eyes and messy hair approached them.

Page 5

\"But how do you get everyone to use the same system?\" Amir asked, scribbling furiously in his notebook. Tim sighed, running a hand through his hair.
\"But how do you get everyone to use the same system?\" Amir asked, scribbling furiously in his notebook. Tim sighed, running a hand through his hair.

\"But how do you get everyone to use the same system?\" Amir asked, scribbling furiously in his notebook. Tim sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Page 6

Arjun nodded. "Open access is key. I remember reading that by 1993, CERN made the web protocols available royalty-free. That decision, they said, truly…
Arjun nodded. "Open access is key. I remember reading that by 1993, CERN made the web protocols available royalty-free. That decision, they said, truly unleashed its potential." Tim smiled. "Exactly! Otherwise, it would have remained a closed system. We wanted everyone to be able to contribute and connect. Think about that, today the smartphone industry generates over 500 billion per year, thanks to these open standards.

Arjun nodded. "Open access is key. I remember reading that by 1993, CERN made the web protocols available royalty-free. That decision, they said, truly unleashed its potential." Tim smiled. "Exactly! Otherwise, it would have remained a closed system. We wanted everyone to be able to contribute and connect. Think about that, today the smartphone industry generates over 500 billion per year, thanks to these open standards.

Page 7

Amir paused, his pen hovering over the page. "So, no HTML, no URLs... no internet as we know it?" Tim laughed. "Pretty much!
Amir paused, his pen hovering over the page. "So, no HTML, no URLs... no internet as we know it?" Tim laughed. "Pretty much! We started small, but the idea was to create a universal space where anyone could share anything. I didn't even patent it! I thought that was the best way to make it grow". Hassan called to Tim, telling him to check her work and see if the new line of code works.

Amir paused, his pen hovering over the page. "So, no HTML, no URLs... no internet as we know it?" Tim laughed. "Pretty much! We started small, but the idea was to create a universal space where anyone could share anything. I didn't even patent it! I thought that was the best way to make it grow". Hassan called to Tim, telling him to check her work and see if the new line of code works.

Page 8

Suddenly, a loud alarm blared through the office. "What's happening?" Amir asked, startled. Hassan rushed over, pointing at a screen filled with scrolling code.
Suddenly, a loud alarm blared through the office. "What's happening?" Amir asked, startled. Hassan rushed over, pointing at a screen filled with scrolling code. "A virus! It's spreading through the network!" Tim exclaimed, his face paling. "We need to isolate the server now! If it spreads, everyone is at risk!" Amir remembered something from the encyclopedia. "Wait - didn't the early web use simple text-based links?

Suddenly, a loud alarm blared through the office. "What's happening?" Amir asked, startled. Hassan rushed over, pointing at a screen filled with scrolling code. "A virus! It's spreading through the network!" Tim exclaimed, his face paling. "We need to isolate the server now! If it spreads, everyone is at risk!" Amir remembered something from the encyclopedia. "Wait - didn't the early web use simple text-based links? Couldn't we write a program to find and isolate infected files based on their text?"

Page 9

Tim looked at Amir, hope flickering in his eyes. "It's worth a try!" Working together, they quickly wrote a program based on Amir's idea, using the simple…
Tim looked at Amir, hope flickering in his eyes. "It's worth a try!" Working together, they quickly wrote a program based on Amir's idea, using the simple text-based structure of the early web to find and quarantine the infected files. Soon, the alarm stopped, and the network was secure. Tim clapped Amir on the shoulder. "You saved the day! It's like Arthur C.

Tim looked at Amir, hope flickering in his eyes. "It's worth a try!" Working together, they quickly wrote a program based on Amir's idea, using the simple text-based structure of the early web to find and quarantine the infected files. Soon, the alarm stopped, and the network was secure. Tim clapped Amir on the shoulder. "You saved the day! It's like Arthur C. Clarke said 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic', but you showed us that the basic principle can be magical!"

Page 10

Back in his room, the Invention Encyclopedia closed with a soft thump. "Wow," Amir said, "I can't believe how much work went into creating something we take for…
Back in his room, the Invention Encyclopedia closed with a soft thump. "Wow," Amir said, "I can't believe how much work went into creating something we take for granted every day." Arjun smiled, "And now you know that even simple ideas, shared openly, can change the world." Amir ran to his holo-communicator and messaged his friends, eager to share his adventure. What invention will they discover next?

Back in his room, the Invention Encyclopedia closed with a soft thump. "Wow," Amir said, "I can't believe how much work went into creating something we take for granted every day." Arjun smiled, "And now you know that even simple ideas, shared openly, can change the world." Amir ran to his holo-communicator and messaged his friends, eager to share his adventure. What invention will they discover next?

About this story

  • Location: Global
  • Audience: kids (ages 6–12)

Questions and answers

Questions and answers about The Invention of the World Wide Web

Read Wonder Inventions on your phone

Wonder Inventions is available on Android. Get Wonder Inventions on Google Play.

More Wonder Inventions stories

All Wonder Inventions stories · Open the library