RESEARCH COLLECTION / 01 OF 10
Historical Chronology.
A timeline that distinguishes events from interpretations. Chronologies become trustworthy when dates are attached to inspectable records, and the difference between a demonstration, publication and deployment is made explicit.
THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What exactly happened?
A proposal, a working prototype, an announcement, a shipment and widespread adoption are separate milestones. An accurate timeline records the type of event alongside the date.
Which date can the record support?
Contemporary publications and document metadata generally offer stronger evidence for dates than an undated retrospective. Conflicts should be disclosed rather than quietly resolved.
How much history is missing?
Preservation favors certain institutions and people. The historical record remains incomplete where correspondence, source code and testimony are absent.
OPEN QUESTIONS
What would settle the record?
- Which artifact establishes the date?
- Was the milestone proposed, demonstrated, released or adopted?
- What credible records might contradict it?
BIBLIOGRAPHIC STARTING POINTS
Starting sources
These are identified materials to consult, not a claim that this collection has already completed exhaustive archival verification. Source types are marked to keep later interpretation distinct from contemporary evidence.
- 01Tim Berners-Lee, “Information Management: A Proposal,” March 1989 / May 1990, CERN Repository
Original proposal / archive record
Open source record ↗ - 02Computer History Museum, Timeline: 1946 and ENIAC
Museum interpretation
Open source record ↗ - 03Computer History Museum, “1949: EDSAC computer employs delay-line storage”
Museum technical history
Open source record ↗ - 04Computer History Museum, Timeline: 1957 FORTRAN
Museum chronology
Open source record ↗ - 05Internet Society, “A Brief History of the Internet,” Leiner et al., 1997
Participant historical account
Open source record ↗ - 06CERN, “A Short History of the Web”
Institutional historical account
Open source record ↗
Edition 1.0.0
8 October 2026. Initial collection overview, research questions and bibliography published. No original interviews, newly acquired artifacts, or independent experiments are claimed. Substantive future changes will be explained here.
Submit counterevidence or an attribution correction ↗