I just had to take the hypertext idea and connect it to the TCP and DNS ideas and—ta-da!—the World Wide Web.
— Tim Berners-Lee - 1989
There were many significant events that occurred in 1989. Here are some of them:
- Fall of the Berlin Wall: On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, which had separated East and West Berlin since 1961, was opened, leading to the eventual reunification of Germany.
- Tiananmen Square protests: In June 1989, thousands of pro-democracy protesters gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, to demand political reform. The protests were eventually violently suppressed by the Chinese government.
- Exxon Valdez oil spill: On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound, causing one of the worst oil spills in history.
- End of the Cold War: The late 1980s saw the end of the Cold War, the long-standing rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was marked by a series of arms control agreements and the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan.
- Nelson Mandela released from prison: On February 11, 1989, Nelson Mandela, the leader of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, was released from prison after serving 27 years.
- The first GPS satellite was launched: The first GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite was launched on February 14, 1989, beginning the development of what is now an essential tool for navigation.
- Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web: In March 1989, computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee submitted a proposal for a system of interconnected hypertext documents that could be accessed via the internet. This system eventually became the World Wide Web.
