Stephen Sutton, inventor of WWW and GB Invictus Games team honoured

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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Stephen Sutton, the man who invented the World Wide Web, and the Great Britain Invictus Games team were amongst the big winners at the 16th annual Pride of Britain Awards at London's Grosvenor House on Saturday night.

The televised awards ceremony awards those British people who have acted bravely or extraordinarily in challenging situations or have achieved great things for society. Saturday's glittering ceremony was, as is the case every year, attended by politicians, royalty and celebs, including Prince Charles, Pierce Brosnan and Adele.

Amongst the big winners at this year's even were Stephen Sutton, who was given a posthumous Special Recognition award for raising £5 million for the Teenage Cancer trust when he himself was dying from the disease.

Teenager Stephen captured the hearts and imagination of the country with his public fight against cancer and managed to raise almost £5million for charity in the process.

Diagnosed with cancer of the colon aged 15, Stephen made the decision that his life would not be defined by the disease. As he went through two years of chemotherapy, he continued to live his life as normal – playing sports, seeing friends and doing well at school.

Tragically, in December 2012, doctors told him his condition was incurable. The next month he set up Stephen’s Story – a Facebook page where he could spread a positive message about living with illness and post details of his bucket list.

Along with things such as skydiving, crowdsurfing in a dinghy and hugging an animal bigger than him, his list of things to achieve before he died included: “Raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust”.

As word of his bucket list spread, so did his fame locally. People stopped him in the street offering help. Stephen would ask that they donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust - which raised £5 million.

Also honoured was the British computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who was given a Special Award for Outstanding Achievement for inventing the World Wide Web and then giving it away for free.

It is 25 years since Sir Tim Berners-Lee devised plans for the Web while working at the European physics laboratory CERN. He was frustrated that scientists would come to the Swiss centre to take part in experiments, but once they returned to their own laboratories across the globe, it was difficult to swap results and data.

Also researchers used dozens of different computers, each with different software, which meant none could communicate with each other.

Sir Tim, who was working at CERN as a software engineer, says: “I found it frustrating that in those days there was different information on different computers. You had to log on to different computers to get at it.

“Also, sometimes you had to learn a different program on each computer. So finding out how things worked was really difficult. Often it was just easier to go and ask people when they were having coffee.”

Sir Tim became focused on the challenge of finding an easier way to swap information. He wrote a paper titled Information Management: A Proposal, which outlined the initial idea of the Web as “a universal linked information system”. His boss wrote, “Vague but exciting” on the cover, and Sir Tim went away to work on his plans.

Working with colleagues at CERN, he tried different programs and tested his work, and, by October 1990, he had created the three fundamental technologies that remain the foundation of today’s Web – HTML, URI and HTTP.

The first website, with links that users could click on with a mouse, was launched in December of that year.

At that stage, the technology was known as The Mesh, but Sir Tim coined the term World Wide Web and by 1991 people outside CERN started to access and connect to it.

Also awarded was the Great Britain team which competed at this year's inaugural Invictus Games.


The Invictus Games is an international Paralympic-style, multi-sport event in which wounded soldiers take part in sports including Wheelchair baskeytball, Sitting volleyball and Indoor rowing. They were organised by Prince Harry, and the inaugural Games took place at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London from 10th to 14th September.

The event captured the imagination of the country as more than 400 wounded soldiers from 13 nations demonstrated their incredible determination and strength, using the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country.

Some had lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan, others suffered long-term injuries, while many dealt with the day-to-day trauma of mental scars brought on by their service on the front line in conflict zones.

The Great Britain team had 132 competitors, which would have made it the 10th-largest nation out of the 164 which competed at the London 2012 Paralympics.

And, needless to say, the British boys topped the medals table, with 139 medals.


National hero Stephen Sutton given posthumous Pride of Britain award after capturing the country's hearts


Oct 06, 2014 07:00
By Alex Wellman
Daily Mirror​


The Pride of Britain Awards 2014 honour Stephen, whose infectious enthusiasm helped him raise £5m for the Teenage Cancer Trust


POB 2014: Stephen Sutton

His indomitable spirit and infectious enthusiasm as he refused to let terminal illness stop him living life to the full made Stephen Sutton a national hero.​

Teenager Stephen captured the hearts and imagination of the country with his public fight against cancer and managed to raise almost £5million for charity in the process.​

Diagnosed with cancer of the colon aged 15, Stephen made the decision that his life would not be defined by the disease. As he went through two years of chemotherapy, he continued to live his life as normal – playing sports, seeing friends and doing well at school.​

Tragically, in December 2012, doctors told him his condition was incurable. The next month he set up Stephen’s Story – a Facebook page where he could spread a positive message about living with illness and post details of his bucket list.​

Along with things such as skydiving, crowdsurfing in a dinghy and hugging an animal bigger than him, his list of things to achieve before he died included: “Raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust”.​

As word of his bucket list spread, so did his fame locally. People stopped him in the street offering help. Stephen would ask that they donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust.​

Jane Sutton, Stephen’s mother, says: “Stephen was courageous and inspirational. His selfless fundraising and positive attitude to life touched countless hearts and the huge outpouring of love and support he received in return helped him throughout his journey.​

“Stephen found the kind words and messages of support from so many people he didn’t know deeply humbling and I know that it made him happy.”​

The target of £10,000 was quickly passed and the amount raised soon reached £100,000 and then £500,000 before the year was out. The drive also captured the nation’s attention as Stephen’s positivity spread across Facebook and Twitter.​

At the start of this year, Stephen decided to set a new target – £1m for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Despite increasingly poor health, he threw himself into fundraising.​

His message was: “Cancer sucks, but life is great.” Using social media with the hashtag #thumbsupforstephen he encouraged people to take a selfie with their thumbs up and make a donation to charity. His £1m target was achieved on April 23.​

Stephen died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on May 14 this year, aged 19, having raised more than £3million for charity. The total has continued to rise since his death and now stands at almost £5million.​

At his funeral service at Lichfield Cathedral, the Dean of Lichfield said he was “glad and proud to be part of the same human race which had as one of its examples Stephen Sutton”.​

Jane says: “Stephen would have been honoured to receive a Pride of Britain award.​

“He wasn’t going to let his cancer stop him making the most of every minute, and he used to say, ‘I may have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have me’. When he started fundraising for the Teenage Cancer Trust, never in his wildest dreams did he think he would reach £5million.​

“That is a testament to how he connected with people. He really wanted to help other young people with cancer.”​





Inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee given special Pride of Britain award for developing the World Wide Web

Oct 06, 2014 07:00
By Alex Wellman
Daily Mirror


Not only did Sir Tim invent the Web, he gave it away for free

It is impossible to think of any aspect of our lives that has not been transformed by the World Wide Web.

It has sparked a revolution in the way we communicate, work, learn, shop, connect with our friends, travel, engage with politics and raise money for charity.

We use it for entertainment, to listen to music and to watch films, but it has also powered campaigns that have changed the world and sparked revolutions that toppled governments.

And it is all down to one man, who not only invented the World Wide Web, but gave his creation to the world for free.

It is 25 years since Sir Tim Berners-Lee devised plans for the Web while working at the European physics laboratory CERN. He was frustrated that scientists would come to the Swiss centre to take part in experiments, but once they returned to their own laboratories across the globe, it was difficult to swap results and data.

Also researchers used dozens of different computers, each with different software, which meant none could communicate with each other.

Sir Tim, who was working at CERN as a software engineer, says: “I found it frustrating that in those days there was different information on different computers. You had to log on to different computers to get at it.

“Also, sometimes you had to learn a different program on each computer. So finding out how things worked was really difficult. Often it was just easier to go and ask people when they were having coffee.”

Sir Tim became focused on the challenge of finding an easier way to swap information. He wrote a paper titled Information Management: A Proposal, which outlined the initial idea of the Web as “a universal linked information system”. His boss wrote, “Vague but exciting” on the cover, and Sir Tim went away to work on his plans.

Working with colleagues at CERN, he tried different programs and tested his work, and, by October 1990, he had created the three fundamental technologies that remain the foundation of today’s Web – HTML, URI and HTTP.

The first website , with links that users could click on with a mouse, was launched in December of that year.

At that stage, the technology was known as The Mesh, but Sir Tim coined the term World Wide Web and by 1991 people outside CERN started to access and connect to it.

In 1993, CERN announced the technology would be available to everyone for free, and the biggest communications revolution since the printing press was under way.

Sir Tim says: “Some people point out that the Web can be used for all the wrong things. For downloading pictures of horrible, gruesome, violent or obscene things, or ways of making bombs which terrorists could use.

“Other people say how their lives have been saved because they found out about the disease they had on the Web, and figured out how to cure it.

“The thing to remember is that any really powerful thing can be used for good or evil. Dynamite can be used to build tunnels or to make missiles.

“So what is made of the Web is up to us. You, me, and everyone else.”





British Armed Forces Team win Pride of Britain Award for inspirational performance at the Invictus Games


Oct 06, 2014
By Alex Wellman

Daily Mirror



The team was recognised at the Pride of Britain Awards 2014, for inspiring people to better themselves, no matter what


The British Armed Forces team demonstrated incredible determination and strength. Defining moments were everywhere, including a thrilling wheelchair rugby final that pitted the British team against the USA. Roared on by a sell-out crowd, Britain took home the gold medal after scoring the winner in a 13-12 match with just 36 seconds remaining.


Nothing shows the strength of the human spirit quite like the incredible performances of our heroic athletes at the Invictus Games.

Across five days this summer, former and current members of our armed forces came together in London for a sporting event like no other.

Championed by Prince Harry, the Games captured the imagination of the country as more than 400 competitors from 13 nations demonstrated their incredible determination and strength.

Teams were made up from wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women from the armed forces of countries that have fought alongside each other.

Some had lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan, others suffered long-term injuries, while many dealt with the day-to-day trauma of mental scars brought on by their service on the front line in conflict zones.

Using the power of sport, the Games were created to inspire people to better themselves, never give up and keep fighting no matter what life threw at them.

Defining moments were everywhere, including a thrilling wheelchair rugby final that pitted the British team against the USA.

Roared on by a sell-out crowd, Britain took home the gold medal after scoring the winner in a 13-12 match with just 36 seconds remaining.

The event was played out in the Copper Box, the iconic London 2012 venue, and Prince Harry himself played in an exhibition match to highlight just how difficult and tough the game is.

Shining a spotlight on Armed Forces personnel and veterans who have put their lives on the line for their country, the Games even got the support of US President Barack Obama, who told competitors: “Your incomparable souls inspire us today.”

The British Armed Forces team was made up of 132 men and women, who shared stunning successes and created dozens of golden memories.

The spirit of Invictus was perhaps best summed up in the unforgettable moment British trio JJ Chalmers, Paul Vice and Robert Cromley-Hawke crossed the winning line for the men’s recumbent road cycling race hand-in-hand to share the gold medal.

The three of them were battling it out in the final moments of an exciting race when they suddenly decided to finish together.

Upon finishing the race, JJ said: “That wasn’t a stunt, it was the true spirit of these Games. We had all worked just as hard to be here.”

Alex Tate (left) and Kushal Limbu (right) of Team GB approach the finish line in the second 100m men's ambulant final. Around 400 wounded soldiers from around the world took part in the inaugural Invictus Games at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with Great Britain topping the medals table with 139 medals


The lion roars: Alex Tate of Great Britain runs to victory in the men's 100m Ambulant IT1 during Day One of the Invictus Games at Lee Valley Athletics Stadium



Ricky Furgusson of Great Britain crosses the finish line in one of the 100m heats. The soldier lost both his legs in combat and suffered burns to the face


















 

Blackleaf

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 9, 2004
48,340
1,650
113
I have it on good authority that the US government invented the web so their spy networks could keep in contact.


I have it on even better and more reliable authority that Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.