Introduction
HTML has not always been what it is today.
What started as a simple language to link documents has evolved into a powerful tool capable of building rich, interactive, and accessible web applications.
Understanding how HTML evolved over time gives real perspective on why certain tags exist, how modern practices came to be, and why standards matter today more than ever.
In this article, we explore HTML's journey — from its humble beginnings to its current sophisticated version: HTML5.3.
Early Beginnings: HTML 1.0 (1991)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Released by | Tim Berners-Lee at CERN |
| Purpose | To allow sharing scientific documents via hyperlinks |
| Key Features | Basic support for text, hyperlinks, and simple document formatting |
| Limitation | No styling, no multimedia, no scripting |
Realistic Touch:
At this stage, web pages looked like simple text documents with blue underlined links.
No images, no background colors, no layout control — just pure content and navigation.
HTML 2.0 (1995)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Standardized by | Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) |
| Purpose | To formalize the existing features and add basic forms |
| New Additions | Forms ( |
| Limitation | Still very limited in structure, no advanced layouts or dynamic behavior |
Impact:
HTML 2.0 introduced user interaction for the first time, enabling the birth of online forms like login pages, contact forms, and simple surveys.
HTML 3.2 (1997)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Standardized by | W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) |
| Major Features | Tables, Scripting Support ( |
| Browser Wars | Netscape and Internet Explorer heavily influenced feature adoption |
Realistic Touch:
The addition of tables revolutionized page layout at the time. Developers began using HTML tables not only for data but also for designing entire web page structures.
HTML 4.01 (1999)
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Versions | Three flavors: Strict, Transitional, and Frameset |
| Major Improvements | Separation of structure (HTML) and presentation (CSS encouraged) |
| Accessibility | Focus on making websites accessible to all users, including those with disabilities |
Key Concepts Introduced:
- Use of
idandclassattributes to target elements via CSS. - Greater encouragement towards using external stylesheets rather than inline styling.
- Formation of semantic structure awareness, although not yet fully realized.
Realistic Touch:
Web development around this time started shifting towards design-oriented thinking. Websites no longer needed to look like scientific journals — brands started demanding visually attractive designs.
