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The history of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the story of how the internet evolved from a simple document-sharing system for scientists into the multimedia-rich platform we use today.

Here is the timeline of how HTML has developed over the decades.

1. The Origins (1989–1991)

Tim Berners-Lee, a physicist at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), invented the World Wide Web in 1989. His goal was to create a system for researchers to share documents easily.

  • 1989: Berners-Lee proposes a hypertext system.
  • 1991: He publishes "HTML Tags," the first description of HTML available on the internet. It included 18 distinct tags (like <h1>, <p>, <a>), many of which we still use today.

2. Standardization & The Browser Wars (1993–1997)

As the web grew, different browsers (like Mosaic and later Netscape) began inventing their own proprietary tags. This created chaos, as websites would look different depending on which browser you used.
  • HTML 1.0 (Informal): There was never an official "1.0" specification, but the 1993 draft by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) is often referred to as version 1.0.
  • HTML 2.0 (1995): This was the first official standard for HTML. It codified the core features common to all browsers at the time.
  • HTML 3.2 (1997): The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) was formed to standardize the web. Version 3.2 included support for tables, applets, and text flow around images, settling the "browser wars" by creating a unified standard.

3. Stability & Separation of Concerns (1999–2000)

By the late 90s, the web was becoming cluttered with design elements mixed into the HTML structure.
  • HTML 4.01 (1999): A massive leap forward. This version encouraged developers to separate content (HTML) from styling (CSS). It introduced strict rules to make code cleaner.
  • XHTML 1.0 (2000): This was a stricter version of HTML 4.01, reformulated as XML. It forced developers to write perfect code (e.g., all tags must be closed, all lowercase). While precise, many found it too difficult and rigid to use.

4. The Modern Era: HTML5 (2004–Present)

While the W3C focused on XHTML, a group of browser makers (Apple, Mozilla, Opera) formed the WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group) in 2004 to create a new version of HTML that focused on web applications, not just documents.
  • HTML5 (2014): The W3C eventually adopted the work of WHATWG. HTML5 was a game-changer:
  • Native Multimedia: Added <video> and <audio> tags (no more Flash player needed).
  • Semantic Elements: Introduced tags like <header>,<footer>,<article> and <nav> to make code more meaningful.
  • Graphics: Introduced<canvas> for 2D drawing and better SVG support.

Summary Table: Key Versions

VersionYearKey Contribution
HTML Tags1991The original 18 tags by Tim Berners-Lee.
HTML 2.01995First official standard; forms introduced.
HTML 3.21997Tables and visual styling support.
HTML 4.011999Separation of CSS and HTML; stability.
XHTML2000Strict, XML-based syntax.
HTML52014Multimedia, semantics, and mobile responsiveness.
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