How a 1991 Coffee Crisis Led to the First Web Camera
- Danielle Mundy
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
There’s only one thing in this world strong enough to fuel masterclass innovation. And that thing would be . . .
Convenience.
You thought I was going to say coffee.
Which is a close second, admittedly, but no. The power of convenience is what really drives people to create new things.
Things like the first web camera.
Inside the Trojan Room and the Birth of the First Web Camera
The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s oldest universities.
This means they’ve had a lot of time to come up with groundbreaking ideas, like the world's first computer game and foundational AI concepts.
And, of course, on the side, the first web camera.
The Coffee Pot Problem
There was a crisis in the Trojan Room computer lab of the unimaginable sort.
Research scientists were working passionately on their cutting-edge projects, toiling away for hours on end in the name of science. Many of these researchers worked on different floors, and if they wanted a cup of coffee, they had to make a tumultuous trek down some stairs and through hallways to get it.
Imagine the horror when they find the coffee pot empty.
The Solution for the Coffee Pot Crisis
The first web camera was "one afternoon's crazy idea," according to Quentin Stafford-Fraser.
It was invented to save people the disappointment of finding an empty coffee machine.
Using a spare video frame-grabber, Quentin Stafford-Fraser and Paul Jardetzky fixed the camera to a stand, pointed it straight at the coffee machine in the corridor, and ran wires under the floor to the Trojan Room.
Jardetzky then wrote a ‘server’ program that captured images of the pot while Fraser wrote a ‘client’ program that could run on people’s computers, displaying an icon-sized image of the pot in the corner of their screen.
From Video Camera to Web Camera
Sometime later, when the World Wide Web could start processing images, Daniel Gordon and Martyn Johnson modified the server program to respond to HTTP requests.
Soon enough, the Trojan Room coffee pot was one of the most popular sites on the early web.
Why XCoffee?
When you see screen captures of the once world-famous coffee pot, many have header text that reads “xcoffee,” which seems like an odd name.
The “X” in xcoffee comes from the X Windows System, which was used on the computers at the time.
A windowing system allows users to run and interact with several apps at once using a mouse and keyboard.
What's a Webcam and Why This One Was Different
So, what’s a webcam, and why was this one different?
A web camera is a digital video camera that captures and streams live video and audio over the internet. It is commonly used for video calls, streaming, and online meetings.
The Coffee Pot Webcam Was an Early Example of How the Internet Could Connect People
The Trojan Room coffee pot, the subject of the first web camera, on the other hand, became famous for, well, being famous.
Sounds a lot like some of the viral content we see today.
The subject of the world's first web camera was a huge hit, making the front pages of both the London Times and the Washington Post in one month.
Why the First Web Camera Still Matters Today
The first web camera redefined connectivity, demonstrating the internet’s potential for shared visual experiences beyond just walls of text.
It foreshadowed everything from video calls and security cameras to live streaming.
The first web camera united people around a shared interest (read: “need”), showing how technology could, did, and continues to connect strangers through shared, albeit mundane, experiences.
Where Is the Coffee Pot from the First Web Camera Now?
The first web camera was officially retired in 2001, the last image capturing a blurry hand switching it off.
There was even an obituary for the coffee pot featured in The Guardian.
It was a sad day for many.
But there is good news.
You can still see the original coffee pot, which is on permanent loan to the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum in Germany.
Final Thoughts on the World's First Web Camera
Coffee and convenience are powerful. Pair them together? You’ve got a recipe for something great.
Even if it is just one afternoon’s crazy idea.
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Danielle Mundy is a Content Marketing Specialist for Tier 3 Technology. She graduated magna cum laude from Iowa State University, where she worked on the English Department magazine and social media. She creates engaging multichannel marketing content—from social media posts to white papers.