The Internet is getting its own Hall of Fame, and the first inductees will unsurprisingly be the fathers of the internet, and surprisingly one former U.S. Vice President among many others. A dedicated website is now live featuring inductee photographs and biographies, news, interviews, polls and more. A Q&A will also be conducted each month, the first of which features Internet Hall of Fame Pioneer Vint Cerf.
The names of the inaugural Internet Hall of Fame inductees were announced on Monday at the Internet Society’s Global INET 2012 conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The Internet Hall of Fame is an annual awards program that has been established by the Internet Society to publicly recognize a distinguished and select group of leaders and luminaries who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the global Internet.
"This historic assembly of Internet visionaries, innovators, and leaders represents an extraordinary breadth of vision and work," said Internet Society President and CEO Lynn St.Amour. "While the inductees have extremely diverse backgrounds and represent many different countries, each individual has an incredible passion for their work. We all benefit from their outstanding contributions to a global Internet, making it one of the greatest catalysts of economic and societal development of all time."
The Hall of Fame is broken into three categories: Pioneers Circle, Innovators and Global Connectors. Here are the inductees for each:
Pioneers Circle
Recognizing individuals who were instrumental in the early design and development of the Internet.
* Paul Baran
* Vint Cerf
* Danny Cohen
* Steve Crocker
* Donald Davies
* Elizabeth Feinler
* Charles Herzfeld
* Robert Kahn
* Peter Kirstein
* Leonard Kleinrock
* John Klensin
* Jon Postel
* Louis Pouzin
* Lawrence Roberts
Innovators
Recognizing individuals who made outstanding technological, commercial, or policy advances and helped to expand the Internet’s reach.
* Mitchell Baker
* Tim Berners-Lee
* Robert Cailliau
* Van Jacobson
* Lawrence Landweber
* Paul Mockapetris
* Craig Newmark
* Raymond Tomlinson
* Linus Torvalds
* Philip Zimmermann
Global Connectors
Recognizing individuals from around the world who have made significant contributions to the global growth and use of the Internet.
* Randy Bush
* Kilnam Chon
* Al Gore
* Nancy Hafkin
* Geoff Huston
* Brewster Kahle
* Daniel Karrenberg
* Toru Takahashi
* Tan Tin Wee
"The Internet, which connects more than two billion people around the world today, is the result of many important contributions from creative and visionary individuals over the past several decades," said Raúl Echeberría, Chairman of the Internet Society’s Board of Trustees. "The 2012 Internet Hall of Fame celebrates the advancements of 33 talented people who have made significant contributions to the design, development, and expansion of the Internet."
To check out the new Internet Hall of Fame, head here. So far Web surfers don't need a ticket to gain entry.
