22 moments in web history, each paired with a moment in space
This timeline follows the web from ARPANET in 1969 to 2025 in 22 milestones: TCP/IP and DNS, the first website at CERN, Mosaic, JavaScript and PHP, Google, WordPress, responsive design, React, static sites and the AI tools that followed ChatGPT. Each one sits beside a space milestone from the same years, from the Apollo 11 Moon landing and Voyager 2 to the International Space Station, SpaceX and the James Webb Space Telescope. Begin the journey to fly through it in 3D, or read the full timeline below.
The full timeline
Each entry pairs a moment in web history with a space milestone from the same years.
The foundation of the internet: the first message is sent from UCLA to the Stanford Research Institute (SRI)
In space Apollo 11 Moon Landing: humanity takes its first steps on another world, while simultaneously connecting computers across Earth
TCP/IP becomes the standard, DNS introduced: the modern internet begins
In space Space Shuttle Program in full swing: reusable spacecraft enables routine access to space, just as TCP/IP enables routine global communication
Tim Berners-Lee creates the World Wide Web at CERN
In space Voyager 2 reaches Neptune: as we explore the farthest planets, we also create the first global digital universe
First website published: info.cern.ch, explaining the World Wide Web
In space The end of the Cold War opens the way for US and Russian cooperation in space, as the first website launches on Earth
First popular graphical web browser, making the web accessible to everyone
In space International Space Station planning begins: global collaboration in space mirrors the democratization of web access
JavaScript created in 10 days by Brendan Eich, PHP released for server-side scripting
In space First American aboard Mir space station: international cooperation deepens as the web becomes interactive
Google search engine launched, CSS2 specification brings modern styling
In space ISS construction begins: building humanity's orbital home while Google organizes Earth's information
Google now answers some searches with an AI summary first. WPAgency.xyz explains what gets a page cited in AI Overviews.
The dot-com boom peaks and online shopping goes mainstream (the term Web 2.0 caught on from 2004, and AJAX was named in 2005)
In space ISS becomes permanently inhabited: continuous human presence in space begins as shopping moves online
Facebook launches, WordPress reaches 1.0 (first released in 2003), and Firefox 1.0 challenges Internet Explorer
In space SpaceShipOne wins X Prize: private space travel becomes reality as social media connects Earth's population
WPAgency.xyz The work behind WPAgency.xyz began five years later, in May 2009, as independent web projects taken on while its founder was still studying.
Two decades on, sites still move onto WordPress, and WPAgency.xyz has written up how to move a site from Wix to WordPress, step by step.
Cloud computing begins, jQuery simplifies JavaScript, real-time web emerges
In space New Horizons launches to Pluto: a decade-long journey begins as cloud computing makes distance irrelevant
Google Chrome launched, HTML5 spec, smartphones change everything
In space SpaceX Falcon 1: first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to reach orbit, as smartphones put the web in everyone's pocket
Phones are still where many games live: Wings & Prayers: Aviation Quiz, built by WPAgency.xyz from MicoStuff's card game, is on Google Play.
One web for all devices: mobile-first approach becomes standard
In space SpaceX Dragon becomes first commercial spacecraft to orbit and return: reusability in space mirrors responsive design adapting to any screen
Accessibility has its own standard, WCAG, and WPAgency.xyz explains what WCAG and the ADA ask of a website, in plain English.
Component-based architecture revolutionizes frontend development
In space China lands Chang'e 3 on Moon: first soft lunar landing in 37 years as modular frameworks revolutionize web development
ES6/ES2015 transforms JavaScript, Progressive Web Apps blur native/web lines
In space New Horizons reaches Pluto: after a 9-year journey, we see Pluto clearly as PWAs blur the line between web and native apps
Machine learning in browsers, serverless architecture goes mainstream
In space First reflight of a landed Falcon 9 booster (March 2017), after the first landing in December 2015: reusability in space mirrors the serverless revolution on Earth
JAMstack brings speed & security: Next.js, Gatsby, Netlify rise
In space First image of a black hole captured: Event Horizon Telescope shows the invisible as JAMstack makes the complex beautifully simple
WPAgency.xyz The WPAgency.xyz name launched in 2022, thirteen years after that first independent web work in 2009.
WPAgency.xyz has since compared Astro and Next.js for a marketing site and set out when a headless CMS beats WordPress, and when it does not.
Remote collaboration tools, video conferencing, and e-commerce boom
In space SpaceX Crew Dragon carries astronauts to ISS: the first astronauts launched to orbit on a commercially built and operated spacecraft, as remote work transforms Earth-bound collaboration
Blockchain, NFTs, and metaverse concepts enter mainstream web
In space Perseverance lands on Mars with Ingenuity helicopter: autonomous exploration on Mars as autonomous systems enter the web
AI coding assistants transform how developers work: Copilot, ChatGPT
In space James Webb Space Telescope first images: AI helps us peer deeper into space and code, revealing previously hidden universes
Large Language Models revolutionize coding, design, and content creation
In space Chandrayaan-3 lands near the Moon's south pole in August 2023, the first landing in that region, as AI changes how software gets built
Not every tool has to be a black box: WPAgency Studio built an audio mastering engine that explains each decision it makes.
Edge computing meets AI: real-time, intelligent web experiences
In space Starship test flights: testing the largest rocket ever built as AI becomes embedded in every digital experience
The work that began in 2009 now spans the four sites listed below.
In space Artemis Moon missions planned: as humanity prepares to return to the Moon permanently, we build the digital foundations for tomorrow
Four paths. One origin.
This site is built with Astro, and WPAgency.xyz explains why it builds on Astro by default.