I was also thinking about an anniversary, and it's sort of related. In the autumn of 1997 I got my first home internet account with the groundbreaking speed of 28 Kbps, and on a test yesterday I found I am now getting 20.1 Mbps here. And it was groundbreaking then as they also got a scanner where I worked and I was able to post my pics online for the first time - which started a big ball rolling.
Where would we be without the web? Just stuck in our own little corners of the world, no doubt with prints lying unseen in boxes. I, for one, am really glad to be able to see everyone else's work, but the sharing also seems to make the striving more worthwhile.