The World Wide Web is turning 25 Wednesday, and to celebrate the milestone, members of the TODAY family — and beyond — are sharing what they love most about the quarter-century-old tool.
1. Willie Geist
"There was a time way back when (let's call it 1998) when you had to flip through a phone book to find the number for that pizza place, or consult a musty almanac to find the population of Kalamazoo, or call a friend to remind you of that name of that band that sang that song," Geist said. "That was before Google, the company that has revolutionized our access to information and actually rewired our brains. Now we expect answers to all of our questions in .0002375424 seconds."
2. Meredith Vieira
3. Dylan Dreyer
"My favorite thing about the Web is Yelp, or any similar review site like it. When I travel all over the country following weather, I love being able to search for the best local restaurants in town. It gives me a chance to find cute little places to eat in towns where I might not visit otherwise. I like to eat where the locals love to eat!"
4. Hoda Kotb
"My favorite thing about the Web is Googling ex-boyfriends while I pretend to work. My second favorite thing about the Web is the 'clear history' button."
5. Savannah Guthrie
"I love how simple it is to stream and download music! It is so much easier now to download those embarrassing one-hit wonders."
6. Sir Richard Branson
"I love social media and hope to share my thoughts and listen to your views online for 25 more years. And who knows, maybe Al Roker will let me tweet the weather from the moon."
Read more of Branson's ode to the Web over at Virgin's website.
7. Carson Daly
"I always loved the idea of giving community a voice, which is why I co-created 'TRL' on MTV. It was meant for the next generation of users. We passed the power to them to program our show — It was the World Wide Web empowering TV. 'The Voice' allows you to tap into social media, and it was unprecedented with its use of hashtags, which you see everywhere now. And of course, in the Orange Room we've built out this nexus where broadcast meets the Web. I love breaking down the fourth wall. I’ve built a career based on the accessibility of the Web."
8. Matt Lauer
"For me, it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the Web makes me feel young and connected. On the other hand, it has a way of making me feel very old!"
9. Martha Stewart
"I like Google search, which I use many times a day. I also love my Twitter. Instantaneous communication."
10. Jenna Bush Hager
"Without the Web, my 11 month old wouldn't have been able to post her first tweet, a profound: 'Iocqa.'"
11. Natalie Morales
"My favorite thing about the Web is having all kinds of information at my fingertips. Whether useful or useless knowledge and how could we have lived in a world before cat bearding? We are all a bit smarter, a tad savvier, and yes lazier too perhaps, now that it's so easy to just look things up!"
12. Lester Holt
"It has empowered us to do things for ourselves on a 24/7 schedule. From booking airline tickets to checking our bank balances, the Internet has freed us from the barriers of closing times, long lines and bad service. "
13. Kathie Lee Gifford
"The thing I love best about the Web is Twitter because that's the only thing I know how to do!"
14. Jeff Rossen
"I love the Web because it connects me to all of you, fast. I can hear from people who love me, and hate me. I'm talking to you, mom! "
15. Erica Hill
"My favorite thing about the Web is how it's made the world a smaller place. I love being able to see and hear my family and friends overseas no matter how great the distance. It keeps us more connected and engaged in each others' lives. I also love how accessible information has become, which makes learning immediate and so dynamic for my kids ... and for me!"
16. Suze Orman
"I love the Web cause I can connect to people I don't know, to help them with the money they don't have, all for free."
17. Dr. Gail Saltz
"My favorite part of the World Wide Web is the easy dissemination of knowledge from great thinkers all over the world to ALL of us! We all can be smarter faster."
18. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
"My favorite thing about the Web? That's easy. Three words: Bloomberg dot com"
19. Giada de Laurentiis
"Without the Web, it would be very difficult to share recipes with fans on a daily basis! That's got to be my favorite thing about the Web!"
20. Jenna Wolfe
"My favorite thing about the Web is that my parents can now freely Google my name and tell me very important things like the fact that Lester and I are both Pisces."
21. Dr. Roshini Raj
"I love the Web because it allows access to so much information, empowering people to take charge of their health and take control of their destiny."
22. Tamron Hall
"I love the access the Web gives us to communicate face-to-face with family and friends. Yes email beats snail mail but video chatting and things give you more than words on paper. Think about kids whose parents are away from home for all kinds of reasons from work to war. They get to see mom or dad. Amazing!"
23. Mario Armstrong
24. Gregg Spiridellis, co-founder, JibJab
"My favorite part of the Web is that it gave creators, like JibJab, a way to bring creative ideas directly to a worldwide audience, without having to go through the giant corporations that control access to TV, film and radio. It has changed media for the better, forever."
25. Al Roker
"I love the Web because I love the idea that we have such an efficient way to waste time—you can blow an hour up to two hours at a drop of a hat"
26. A bonus!
With all the digital conversation in the air today, we couldn't help but share this clip from our archives. Bryant Gumbel, Katie Couric and Elizabeth Vargas may have been discussing the Internet, rather than the World Wide Web, but it's still worth the watch. 1994 never felt so ancient.