New Media Timeline (1991)

An early Internet search program called WAIS is introduced. WAIS (Wide-Area Information Server) was originally started as a project by Dow Jones, Apple, and the Thinking Machines Corporation.

Tim Berners-Lee and CERN release the World Wide Web program. CERN originally developed the Web for physics researchers.

“For Shakespeare, Just Log On.”
New York Times, July 3, 1991.

An early version of Linuxis released on the Internet in September 1991.

Feb. 1991 — A DOS version of America Online is launched. (The history of Steve Case’s AOL can be traced back to the beginning of the Quantum Computer Services company and an online service called Quantum Link.)

News Example:
Feb. 28, 1991 —
“Bush Halts Offensive Combat; Kuwait Freed, Iraqis Crushed“,
New York Times.
(Story available from
database vendor services.)

“Newspapers and Magazines Dial 900 for New Revenues.” Randall Rothenberg, New York Times, April 22, 1991.

“Who will rewire America.”
CJR, May/June 1991.

There are still a few videotex journalism projects operating, but most media companies are leaving videotex and moving to BBS or dial-up services such as Prodigy, Compuserve, and America Online.