May 12, 1998
CSS Level 2 becomes a W3C Recommendation
The W3CWorld Wide Web Consortium — the international body that maintains core web standards. published Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2 as a Recommendation on May 12, 1998 — adding positioning, media types, and downloadable fonts.
What it was for
CSS2 introduced absolute and relative positioning, z-index layering, `@media` rules for print and screen, and table layout controls — while remaining backward compatible with CSS1. It became the prerequisite for the Document Object Model and set the foundation for richer page design through the browser wars era.
People
- Bert Bos — author
- Håkon Wium Lie — author
Companies
- W3C
Why it's here
CSS2 expanded styling from basic typography to layout, media, and accessibility features.
Why it mattered
It gave designers positioning and media-query primitives that shaped web design for the next decade.
What it solved
CSS1 could not express layered layouts, print styles, or device-specific presentation.
Media
- ImageCSS
Javi Aguilar and The CSS-Next Community Group, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- CSS Level 1 becomes a W3C RecommendationDecember 17, 1996
- CSS 2.1 becomes a W3C RecommendationJune 7, 2011