1990
HTTP/0.9 & The First Web Server
Tim Berners-Lee implements the first web server (CERN httpd) and browser. HTTP/0.9 supports only one method: GET. No headers, no status codes, just raw HTML text.
# GET request (1990)
GET /index.html
1991
HTML 1.0 (Informal)
The first HTML tags emerge: <h1> through <h6>, <p>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>, <a>, and <img>. The web becomes visual, not just textual.
<h1>Welcome to the Web</h1>
<p>Best viewed in Mosaic.</p>
1993
NCSA Mosaic & CSS Draft
Mosaic becomes the first widely used graphical web browser, popularizing the web globally. Håkon Wium Lie drafts the first CSS proposal, aiming to separate style from content.
1994
Netscape Navigator 1.0
Netscape introduces tables, applets, and persistent cookies. The browser wars begin. MIME types become standard for handling diverse media over HTTP.
/* Early style override */
<center><font color="#00ff00" size="+2">
Under Construction!
</font></center>
1995
JavaScript 1.0 & HTML 2.0
Brendan Eich creates JavaScript in 10 days for Netscape. HTML 2.0 becomes the first W3C recommendation, standardizing forms, buttons, and text inputs.
<script>
function alertHello() {
alert("Welcome to the dynamic web");
}
</script>
1996
CSS 1 & HTML 3.2
CSS Level 1 introduces backgrounds, text alignment, and basic fonts. HTML 3.2 adds <applet>, <marquee> (Netscape), and better table support. The web gets louder.
1997
DHTML & IE 4.0
Dynamic HTML emerges as a combo of HTML, CSS, and JS to manipulate the DOM. IE 4.0 introduces ActiveX and layers (<div> positioning), pushing interactivity forward.
<div id="banner" style="
position:absolute; left:0px; top:0px
">Sliding banner!</div>
1998
XHTML Draft & RSS 0.9
The W3C drafts XHTML, merging HTML flexibility with XML strictness. RSS 0.9 launches for content syndication, laying groundwork for blogs and feeds.
1999
HTML 4.01 & CSS 2
HTML 4.01 separates structure from presentation, deprecating <font> and <center>. CSS 2 adds positioning, floats, and media types. The semantic web begins.
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "...-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN">
<div class="layout">
<div class="sidebar">...</div>
</div>
2000
Web 2.0 Foundations
AJAX concepts emerge via XMLHttpRequest. JavaScript 1.5 standardizes. The dot-com bubble bursts, but the architectural shift toward dynamic, user-generated web content is irreversible.