Tim Berners-Lee created HTML at CERN in the 1980s, laying the foundation for the modern internet. As a simple markup language, HTML allowed researchers to share documents over early computer networks by defining common tags to structure and format text-based content. Though limited in capabilities, HTML established a common language that could be understood by any computer or operating system. This open standard enabled the World Wide Web to rapidly expand and evolve into the vast digital network it is today, fundamentally transforming how people access and share information on a global scale.