To commemorate the Beacon’s 40th anniversary this year, we are traveling back in time to examine some previous versions of the Beacon. One section, in particular, was CUW graduate Nate Cox’s “World Wide Web: I waste time… so you don’t have to” regular feature. In his articles, Nate would list six websites he visited on a (semi) regular basis and give a brief explanation of what they are. Tim Berners-Lee first was believed to be the creator of the internet in 1989. Since the internet was pretty new around this version of the Beacon, I would assume Nate began this segment to familiarize people with some of the best websites on the world wide web. So, to celebrate the Beacon’s anniversary, let’s take a look at Nate’s top 6 from April 1996 and review where those websites stand today.
- The Animaniacs Page
1996: The Animaniacs Page was a site hosted by the Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science program. The basis of the site was that it included links to various fan pages surrounding the Animaniacs TV show.
2024: 404 Not Found
While the original site does not exist anymore. I was able to find a list of Animaniac episodes on the Carnegie Mellon University domain; a nice consolation prize in searching for our first site.
- The James Bond Page
1996: The James Bond page was a site that listed various facts about James Bond. All information about the books, movies, and actors behind Ian Fleming’s famous British spy.
2024: 404 Not Found
Unfortunately, this website also does not exist anymore. On the bright side, we did get some page art from Micro Computer Systems, who I would assume was the host of the site. A step in the right direction during our journey, but the goal is to find a site from 1996 that is still standing.
- WRTV- Channel 6 TV
1996: The local ABC affiliate in Nate’s hometown of Indianapolis. It covers national, state and local news. It also contains RealAudio clips of ABC nightly news.
2024: 404 Not Found
While the WRTV station is still running and has a website, this specific one, yet again, does not exist.
- WFBQ- Q95 Home Page
1996: WFBQ – Q95 in Indianapolis is the highest-rated rock-and-roll radio station in America. Bob & Tome, their morning show hosts, have a highly rated syndicated morning show.
2024: Still Exists!
WFBQ – Q95 is still up and operating as a classic rock radio station. And while Bob & Tom are no longer on the classic rock station, they have created their own show which is still going to this day!
- Microsoft Home Page
1996: Microsoft is a dominant presence in the computer world. Nate used this site to search for information on Windows 95, which was first created in 1995. You can also download free software and check out information about Microsoft products.
2024: Still Exists!
While Windows 95 is no longer relevant and software is no longer free, this website is still up and running as Microsoft remains one of the powerhouses in the computer and technology world.
- PBS Online Page
1996: The official homepage of the Public Broadcast System. This site has program listings, information about upcoming shows, and detailed information regarding the shows they run that make excellent reference material for writing papers.
2024: Still Exists!
PBS is still around and still stands for what they did in 1996. While I’m sure there were some upgrades to the website between now and then, we found a website that is eerily similar to its 1996 form!
While a lot of these sites have gone through drastic transformations since 1996, it’s interesting to see how the internet has progressed since its inception and doing so all through the Beacon archives!
—Sally Fields is a student writer for The Beacon, the official student newspaper of Concordia University Wisconsin. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and plans to graduate in 2023.