Fri Feb 8, 2008 — by Shira Gregory

On This Day: '24 Hours in Cyberspace'

Another step toward a digital future

Today in 1996, the largest one-day online event (to that date) occurred, called "24 Hours in Cyberspace."

The professional photographers, editors and programmers who participated in the event aimed to to create a "digital time capsule of online life," explained Rick Smolan, a photographer who headed the event.

Participants photographed, edited and collected images of people whose lives were affected by the use of the Internet over the course of the 24-hour period. Second Lady (at the time) Tipper Gore even contributed several photographs, while her husband, Vice President Al Gore, contributed to the environmental impact areas of the site.

The site was originally hosted at www.cyber24.com, but has since been moved to a mirror site hosted by Georgia Tech University.

The website received more than 4 million hits in those 24 hours - an unheard-of tally at the time.

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