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HTML Introduction 

 

What is HTML?

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard language used to create and design documents on the World Wide Web. It describes the structure of a web page semantically and originally included cues for the appearance of the document.

 

When HTML was invented?

HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991. Berners-Lee, a British scientist, was working at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) when he proposed a project that would allow researchers to share documents over the internet. This project eventually became the World Widedsgdsgdsgds Web.

 

Key Points in the Invention of HTML:

  • Proposal: In March 1989, Tim Berners-Lee wrote a proposal for "a large hypertext database with typed links." This was the conceptual foundation for what would become HTML and the World Wide Web.
  • Development: By late 1990, Berners-Lee had developed the first web browser (called WorldWideWeb) and the first web server (called httpd). Alongside these, he defined the first version of HTML
  • First Website: The first website, which was created at CERN and went live on August 6, 1991, was a simple page explaining what the World Wide Web was and how to use it. This site was also the first HTML document.
  • HTML Tags: The initial version of HTML included a small set of tags, such as <p>, <a>, <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>, <dl>, <dt>, <dd>, <address>, and <pre>.

 

Basic Structure of an HTML Document

An HTML document is structured with a series of elements and tags. Here is a simple example of an HTML document:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>My First HTML Page</title>
</head>

<body>
    <h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
    <p>This is a paragraph of text on my first HTML page.</p>
</body>

</html>

Explanation of the Structure

  1. <!DOCTYPE html>: This declaration defines the document type and version of HTML. It helps the browser to render the content correctly.
  2. <html lang="en">: The <html> tag is the root element of an HTML page. The lang attribute specifies the language of the document.
  3. <head>: The <head> element contains meta-information about the HTML document, such as its title and links to stylesheets.
  4. <meta charset="UTF-8">: This meta tag specifies the character encoding for the HTML document, ensuring that it displays correctly.
  5. <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">: This meta tag ensures that the web page is responsive and adjusts its layout based on the device's screen size.
  6. <title>My First HTML Page</title>: The <title> element sets the title of the web page, which appears in the browser's title bar or tab.
  7. <body>: The <body> element contains the content of the HTML document, such as text, images, links, etc.
  8. <h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>: The <h1> tag defines a top-level heading.
  9. <p>This is a paragraph of text on my first HTML page.</p>: The <p> tag defines a paragraph of text.

 

Evolution of HTML:

  • HTML 2.0 (1995): The first standardized version.
  • HTML 3.2 (1997): Added support for tables, applets, and more.
  • HTML 4.01 (1999): Introduced more complex elements and attributes.
  • XHTML 1.0 (2000): A reformulation of HTML 4.01 in XML.
  • HTML5 (2014): The latest major version, which introduced new elements like <canvas>, <video>, and <audio>, as well as APIs for complex web applications.