On August 6, 1991, Tim Bemers-Lee put up the first web site ever. (There’s a nice short history of it here.) The earliest version that remains, made in 1992 (above) can be seen here. You should really go to it. And click on a few pages to see how it all began. Because if you tried in 1991, with your wildest imagination, you couldn’t have anticipated that these simple pages could evolve into today’s web.
It might inspire you to try that project you’ve been thinking about.
In my younger days, in Atlanta, I noticed that every fall as the light changed, a bit of angst seeped in. So a friend and I decided to host (buy a keg) a “Days Getting Shorter, Nights Getting Longer” party — just to cheer everyone up. About 40 people showed up, and we had a great time. The next year we decided to repeat, added another host and a lot more people came. The third year we added another host and had to move it to a local art gallery. By the fifth year, that small party had grown to an annual event — and 400 people showed up. (Then we moved to Little Rock.)
Likewise, Trick or Treat for UNICEF began in 1950 when a Pennsylvania family raised $17 in decorated milk cartons to help the victims of World War II. Over 6o years, the project has steadily grown, gaining celebrity help from Lassie and Kermit the Frog to first ladies, going online, and adding many other elements. The campaign has raised more than $160 million to improve the lives of children around the world. Not bad for a one-family $17 start.
Not everything that starts small grows big. But if you do start, you increase the odds by 1000 percent!
So if you’ve got an idea to make the world a better place, try it out. Start small, if you need to. What do you have to lose? A keg? A few empty milk cartons? See what happens.
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