Style sheets have appeared in various forms since the invention of HTML in the early 1990s. Different browsers combine their own style languages, and readers can use these style languages to adjust the way web pages are displayed. In the beginning, style sheets were used by readers. The initial version of HTML contained only a few display attributes, and it was up to the readers to decide how the web page should be displayed.
But with the growth of HTML, in order to meet the requirements of designers, HTML has gained many display functions. As these capabilities increase, foreign languages for defining styles make less and less sense.
In 1994, Hakun Li proposed the original proposal of CSS. Bert Bos was designing a browser called Argo, and they decided to work together on CSS.
There had been some proposals for style sheet languages at that time, but CSS was the first to include the idea of "cascading". In CSS, styles in one file can be inherited from other style sheets. The reader can use his or her own preferred style in some places and inherit, or "cascade", the author's style in other places. This layering approach gives both authors and readers the flexibility to add their own designs and mix their own preferences.
Hakun first presented the CSS proposal at a conference in Chicago in 1994, and he presented it again with Persia in 1995. At that time, W3C had just been established. W3C was very interested in the development of CSS and organized a discussion meeting for this purpose. Hakun, Persia, and others (such as Microsoft's Thomas Reardon) were the main technical leaders on the project. By the end of 1996, CSS was complete. The first version of the CSS requirements was published in December 1996.
In early 1997, a working group dedicated to CSS was organized within the W3C, and its leader was Chris Lilley. This working group began discussing issues not covered in the first edition, which resulted in the publication of the second edition requirements in May 1998. As of 2004, the third edition has not yet been published.