HTML 101

HTML is the common language of the web. It is the programming language of every web page on the internet. To do anything on the web, you need a solid grounding in how HTML works and how others use it.

HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. “Hypertext” means there are links between documents and within documents that interconnect the documents. Linked pages allow the web to constantly expand and become more interconnected. A markup language uses tags to “mark up” the text to apply formatting and structure. A tag is essentially a text marker that signifies the start and the end of a particular kind of formatting.

HTML was created in 1991 by Tim Berners – Lee, researcher at a scientific think tank called CERN, located in Switzerland. Tim wanted to create a simple system of document organization that allowed for simplicity and cross referencing. When other people began using HTML, it took off, and the web as we know it was born.