Introduction to HTML
1. What is HTML?
- HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.
- It is the standard language used to create web pages.
- HTML tells the browser what to display on the screenβlike text, images, links, tables, forms, etc.
- It is not a programming language. It is a markup language because it uses tags to "mark up" content.
π Example:
<p>Hello, World!</p>
Here <p> is a paragraph tag. The browser will display Hello, World! as a paragraph.
2. History of HTML
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1991 β Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of the World Wide Web) introduced HTML.
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Early HTML had very few tags, mostly for text and links.
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Over the years, many versions came:
- HTML 2.0 (1995) β First official standard.
- HTML 3.2 (1997) β Added support for tables, applets, images.
- HTML 4.01 (1999) β Widely used, introduced stylesheets (CSS).
- XHTML (2000s) β Stricter version of HTML.
- HTML5 (2014, latest major version) β Modern features like audio, video, canvas, offline storage.
π Today, HTML5 is the standard and is still being improved.
3. Capabilities of HTML
HTML by itself can:
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Display Text β Headings, paragraphs, lists, quotes.
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Add Links β Connect one page to another using <a>.
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Insert Media β Images, audio, and video.
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Create Tables β Organize data in rows and columns.
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Create Forms β Collect user input (like login forms, search boxes).
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Use Semantic Tags β <header>, <footer>, <article>, <section> for structured pages.
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Work with CSS and JavaScript β
- CSS adds design & style (colors, fonts, layout).
- JavaScript adds interactivity (sliders, popups, games).
π HTML provides the structure, CSS adds the look, and JavaScript adds the behavior.
β
Quick Recap for You:
- HTML = language of web pages.
- Created in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee.
- Versions evolved, latest is HTML5.
- Can display text, images, links, forms, media, and works with CSS & JS.