Wiki

HTML - The hypertext markup language, the standard 'lingua franca' markup language invented by Tim Berners-Lee that defines the structure of content that is to be accessed across the Internet. Also used to define the way text and images are to be viewed within a Web browser.

In his book Weaving The Web Berners-Lee discusses how HTML was conceived at the CERN research facilities in Switzerland. A must-read!

One critical component of the founding of the World Wide Web is presentation language (HTML) that would allow linkages to be made among objects across the Internet. Tim Berners-Lee presented the URI as the standard for addressing objects. For completeness on this post, the other two components of the Web's success were the transfer protocol (HTTP) and the addressability of objects (URI).

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) - A communications protocol for the transfer of information over the Internet. A critical component of the founding of the World Wide Web is the standard for data transfer, which is what HTTP became.

The other two critical components for the Web are presentation language (HTML) that would allow linkages to be made among objects across the Internet, and URI as the standard for addressing objects.