Time travel would be interesting, but we can be pretty sure it can’t be done. However, history lets us visit the past in a sense. And when it comes to the web, there’s always the amazing Wayback Machine.
The Wayback Machine archives websites and stores them for future use, and anyone can use it to see past versions of sites, or visit sites that are no longer available. Also, anyone can enter a web address and ask for it to be archived.
The Wayback Machine has had a torrid time with DDoS attacks and data theft over the last few weeks, but it’s all fixed and working again as of 14th October (though in read-only mode for the time being).
So let’s look at some examples. Click the links below to check them out, but do bear in mind that the retrieval process may be quite slow. Time travel takes time:
- A very early version of my website – 13th January 1998
- Wikipedia – 1st September 2004
- BBC News – 30th May 2006
- An earlier version of my blog – 1st February 2010
Why not explore some old websites for yourself? Just visit web.archive.org and search for a website you like or one that no longer exists.
What serious uses does it have?
The Wayback Machine (or Web Archive) serves a number of useful purposes beyond viewing old versions of websites for fun.
- Historical research
- For checking accountability
- Verification
- As legal evidence
- Viewing websites that no longer exist
For further details, read the Wikipedia article on the Wayback Machine.
Useful? Interesting?
If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome! 
Journeys of Heart and Mind 