The internet is among a record 237 individuals and organisations nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, championed by the Italian version of Wired magazine. PR stunt? Probably. But given Barak Obama was awarded the prize last year, anything is possible…
If it does indeed win it will be the first time an inanimate object has been awarded the prestigious prize. But who would pick up the award? Whilst no one person can truly be credited, here are some possible suggestions:
– Sir Timothy John “Tim” Berners-Lee seems an obvious choice. A British engineer, computer scientist and MIT professor credited with inventing the world wide web
– Leonard Kleinrock was the first person to write a paper on the idea of packet switching which is essential for the Internet to work
– Larry G. Roberts created the first functioning long-distance computer networks in 1965 and designed the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), the seed from which the modern Internet grew, in 1966
– Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf invented the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) which moves data on the modern Internet, in 1972 and 1973. If any two people “invented the Internet,” it was Kahn and Cerf – but they have publically stated that “no one person or group of people” invented the Internet
Who do you think should pick up the prize?
