What is HTML?
HTML is an acronym for HyperText Mark-up Language.
The first version of HTML was written by Tim Berners-Lee in 1993. Since then, there have been many different versions of HTML. The most widely used version throughout the 2000’s was HTML 4.01, which became an official standard in December 1999.
Examples of types of content that can be included on web pages
The following table shows a list of many of the types of content that can be added to web pages using different versions of HTML. In the early days of the Web, HTML (version 1.2) was very simple, but over time new versions were released that added more and more features.
HTML5 has added support for many new features that will make it possible to do more with HTML, without relying on non-standard proprietary technologies.
| Type of content | HTML 1.2 | HTML 4.01 | HTML5 | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heading | Yes | Yes | Yes | Organize page content by adding headings and subheadings to the top of each section of the page |
| Paragraph | Yes | Yes | Yes | Identify paragraphs of text |
| Address | Yes | Yes | Yes | Identify a block of text that contains contact information |
| Anchor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Link to other web content |
| List | Yes | Yes | Yes | Organize items into a list |
| Image | Yes | Yes | Yes | Embed a photograph or drawing into a web page |
| Table | No | Yes | Yes | Organize data into rows and columns |
| Style | No | Yes | Yes | Add CSS to control how objects on a web page are presented |
| Script | No | Yes | Yes | Add JavaScript to make pages respond to user behaviors (more interactive) |
| Audio | No | No | Yes | Add audio to a web page with a single tag |
| Video | No | No | Yes | Add video to a web page with a single tag |
| Canvas | No | No | Yes | Add an invisible drawing pad to a web page, on which you can add drawings (animations, games, and other interactive features) using JavaScript |
Version, Student. “Web Design & Development I.” WebD2: A Brief History of HTML, Copyright © 2005-2021 by University of Washington, 2021, www.washington.edu/accesscomputing/webd2/student/unit1/module3/html_history.html.