During NBC's opening ceremony coverage, Meredith Vieira voiced words that are likely to haunt her for years to come, bringing on a barrage of heckling tweets within the online community. (Photo: Reuters / Brendan McDermid)

During NBC's Olympics opening ceremony coverage, Meredith Vieira voiced words that are likely to haunt her for years to come, bringing on a barrage of heckling tweets within the online community.

Just moments after the coverage began, Vieira sheepishly admitted that "if you don't know who Berners-Lee is, don't worry...neither do we".

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is the founding father of the World Wide Web and was a star in the Olympics opening ceremony which celebrated the impact of his work on the world.

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Whether it was an attempt at humor or an honest admission, Vieira's lacking knowledge led to a mass influx of heckling commentary from Tweeters around the globe.

"My God, Sir Tim Berners-Lee is actually IN the opening ceremonies and they disrespected him like that? I'm a little aghast!",  tweets one horrified viewer.

 "Meredith Viera & Matt Lauer admitting they have no idea who is Tim Berners-Lee is the defining point of their sad, unimaginative commentary," tweets another.

Still others chose to express their shock in a more humorous tone:

@jimmiebjr "Dear Britain. Thanks for those Opening Ceremonies. As a token of our appreciation, please keep Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera."

This branding omission has left some viewers pining for the familiar voice of reason who was visibly lacking from NBC's opening ceremony live coverage: recently ousted Morning Show co-host Anne Curry.

"Pretty sure @AnnCurry knows who Tim Berners-Lee is" tweets Reuter's columnist Anthony De Rosa

"Like everyone else - except Lauer and Veira!" Replies @TheSpicyItalian

"Would have loved to see @anncurry call Matt a "ignorant moron" on national tv for not knowing TBL. Seriously", chimes in another.

And the jeers just keep coming....

Tonight's twitter commentary is just the tip of the iceberg on this story. Stay tuned for more coverage as updates become available.

Update: 

For more hillarious Olympics opening ceremony commentary read: 40 Reasons Vieira and Lauer's Opening Ceremony Coverage was an EPIC FAIL 

Update 2:

Check out Ann's response to NBC's contiually falling ratings: Is Ann Curry Getting the Last Laugh as NBC's Today Show Ratings Plummet? [POLL]