A Brief History
90's: Emergence of web 'browsing'. Display of static text, images. required long and expensive development. (the first web page)
Early 2000's: Development becomes cheaper and easier as 2nd generation tools such as development environments emerged. Increasing sophistication of search engines, web applications and dynamic page generation. Strengthening of web protocols and standards.
Late 2000's: Sophisticated web applications and content management systems allow general web development without a deep learning cycle. Social media and blogging platforms enable anyone with an internet connection a web presence.
Now: Development for multiple platforms. Explosion of mobile computing and 'apps'. Ubiquitous use of 'cloud' resources, cheap server access, mature open source content management systems.
https://www.webfoundation.org/vision/history-of-the-web/
http://webdirections.org/history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet