HTML History

The journey of the current HTML version started in 1989 when a physicist and computer scientist named Tim Berners-Lee began working on an Internet-based hypertext system called World Wide Web.

In 1991 Tim Berners-Lee introduced the first version of HTML to the public. He proposed the document for the same as 'HTML tags'. This document described a total of 18 HTML elements.

Dave Raggett, a computer specialist, drafted HTML+ in 1993 and proposed standardizing some HTML features.

In early 1994 IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) formed an HTML Working Group. This group created standard specifications for HTML and introduced it in 1995 as 'HTML 2.0'.

In 1996, W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) started standardizing HTML specifications when IETF closed its HTML Working Group and published 'HTML 3.2' as a W3C Recommendation.

In 1997, W3C Recommendation published another specification version in continuation, namely HTML 4.0.

In 1998, W3C reintroduced HTML 4.0 with minor edits.

In 1999, HTML 4.01 was published as a W3C Recommendation.

In 2000, W3C recommended XHTML 1.0 which was a reformulation of HTML 4.01 using XML 1.0.

XHTML 1.1 was published as a W3C Recommendation in 2001.

In 2008, W3C introduced first public draft of HTML 5.

In 2014, HTML 5 was released as a stable W3C Recommendation.