HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in web browsers. Created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990 as a core component of the World Wide Web, HTML provides the structure and content of web pages, enabling the hypertext linking that makes the Web navigable.
Origins
When Tim Berners-Lee designed the World Wide Web at CERN, he needed a simple way to create documents that could link to each other. Drawing inspiration from SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language), he created HTML—a streamlined markup language that anyone could learn[1].
The first version of HTML was deliberately simple. Berners-Lee defined just 18 tags, including:
<a>for hyperlinks (the revolutionary feature)<h1>through<h6>for headings<p>for paragraphs<ul>and<ol>for lists
This simplicity was intentional. Berners-Lee wanted scientists—not just programmers—to be able to create web pages.
The Hyperlink Revolution
The <a> tag, which creates hyperlinks, was HTML’s most important innovation. By clicking a link, users could instantly jump to another document anywhere on the Web. This simple mechanism transformed how humans navigate information[2].
Before hyperlinks, finding related information meant manual searches through indexes, catalogs, or citations. Hyperlinks made knowledge exploration seamless and intuitive.
Evolution
HTML has evolved significantly since 1990:
- HTML 2.0 (1995): First formal specification as an IETF standard
- HTML 4.01 (1999): Added frames, scripting support, and stylesheets
- XHTML (2000): Reformulated HTML as XML for stricter syntax
- HTML5 (2014): Major revision adding video, audio, canvas, and semantic elements
HTML5, developed by the WHATWG and W3C, brought native multimedia support, eliminating the need for plugins like Flash for common tasks[3].
Design Philosophy
HTML’s success stems from several key principles:
- Forgiveness: Browsers render malformed HTML as best they can, rather than failing
- Separation of concerns: HTML handles structure; CSS handles presentation; JavaScript handles behavior
- Accessibility: Semantic elements help screen readers and other assistive technologies
- Backward compatibility: New features don’t break old pages
Impact
HTML democratized publishing. Before the Web, reaching a global audience required publishers, broadcasters, or significant capital. With HTML, anyone with a text editor could publish to the world.
Today, there are over 1.9 billion websites. Every one of them uses HTML.
Sources
- Wikipedia. “HTML.” Comprehensive overview of HTML’s history and features.
- W3C. “A Little History of the World Wide Web.” Documents HTML’s role in the early Web.
- WHATWG. “HTML Living Standard.” The current HTML specification maintained by the Web community.