• Send Us A Tip
  • Calling all Tech Writers
  • Advertise
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
TechStory
  • News
  • Crypto
  • Gadgets
  • Memes
  • Gaming
  • Cars
  • AI
  • Startups
  • Markets
  • How to
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Crypto
  • Gadgets
  • Memes
  • Gaming
  • Cars
  • AI
  • Startups
  • Markets
  • How to
No Result
View All Result
TechStory
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Stephen Wilhite, creator of the GIF, has died

by Srestha Roy
March 24, 2022
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Stephen Wilhite, creator of the GIF, has died
TwitterWhatsappLinkedin

According to his wife, Kathaleen, who talked to The Verge, Stephen Wilhite, one of the key inventors of the GIF, died last week from COVID at the age of 74. When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones. “Even with all his accomplishments, he remained a very humble, kind, and kind man,” according to his obituary website.

You might also like

Nuvie Raises $450K to Reinvent Healthy Indulgence in India

Inside Udaan’s Strategic Push to Acquire ShopKirana

Authorities Shut Down Web Drug Trader, Archetyp Market

During his time at CompuServe in the 1980s, Stephen Wilhite worked on GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, which is today used for reactions, messages, and jokes. In the early 2000s, he retired and spent his time traveling, camping, and constructing model trains in his basement.

Although animated internet memes are now synonymous with GIFs, Wilhite didn’t invent the format for that reason. In the late 1980s, CompuServe offered them as a way to distribute “high-quality, high-resolution graphics” in color at a period when internet rates were slow compared to what they are now.

The Daily Dot has a fantastic overview of how the GIF became an online craze if you want to dig deeper into the history of the format.

While there have long been arguments over how to pronounce the picture format correctly, Wilhite was very clear about how he wanted it to be stated. “The Oxford English Dictionary permits both pronunciations,” he told The New York Times in 2013. They are mistaken. It’s pronounced ‘Jif,’ with a soft ‘G.’ “End of the story.”

Later that month, he reaffirmed his position when winning a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for the creation of the GIF, delivering his acceptance speech through animation. (You can see the entire video of him accepting the prize here.) “They finally honored that feat that he did after 25 years,” Kathaleen said, adding that producing the GIF was his proudest achievement.

Several notes on his obituary page from former colleagues indicated Stephen made other significant contributions during his time at CompuServe, describing him as a dedicated worker who had a significant impact on the company’s success.

Following Stephen’s retirement, the couple began travelling together. One of the most memorable adventures, according to Kathaleen, was their honeymoon trip to the Grand Canyon.  He enjoyed working on his model train set when he was at home.

 

 

Tags: GIFstephen wilhite
Tweet54SendShare15
Previous Post

Ukraine uses facial recognition to identify dead Russian soldiers

Next Post

Google to halt ads that exploit or dismiss Russia-Ukraine war

Srestha Roy

Recommended For You

Nuvie Raises $450K to Reinvent Healthy Indulgence in India

by Ishaan Negi
June 17, 2025
0
Nuvie Raises $450K to Reinvent Healthy Indulgence in India

Bengaluru-based F&B startup Nuvie has raised over $450,000 (INR 3.8 crore) in its maiden pre-seed funding round, led by India’s fastest-growing accelerator, PedalStart. Nuvie is carving out a...

Read more

Inside Udaan’s Strategic Push to Acquire ShopKirana

by Ishaan Negi
June 17, 2025
0
Inside Udaan’s Strategic Push to Acquire ShopKirana

India’s digital B2B commerce sector is heating up again—and Udaan is preparing to make a bold move. Just weeks after raising $114 million in a Series G round,...

Read more

Authorities Shut Down Web Drug Trader, Archetyp Market

by Sneha Singh
June 17, 2025
0
Authorities Shut Down Long-Running Dark Web Drug Market

Police in six European nations have managed to bring down Archetyp Market, the dark net's longest-running and most dangerous drug marketplace. The joint operation is a significant victory...

Read more
Next Post
Google

Google to halt ads that exploit or dismiss Russia-Ukraine war

Please login to join discussion

Techstory

Tech and Business News from around the world. Follow along for latest in the world of Tech, AI, Crypto, EVs, Business Personalities and more.
reach us at [email protected]

Advertise With Us

Reach out at - [email protected]

BROWSE BY TAG

#Crypto #howto 2024 acquisition AI amazon Apple bitcoin Business China cryptocurrency e-commerce electric vehicles Elon Musk Ethereum facebook flipkart funding Gaming Google India Instagram Investment ios iPhone IPO Market Markets Meta Microsoft News NFT samsung Social Media SpaceX startup startups tech technology Tesla TikTok trend trending twitter US

© 2024 Techstory.in

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Crypto
  • Gadgets
  • Memes
  • Gaming
  • Cars
  • AI
  • Startups
  • Markets
  • How to

© 2024 Techstory.in

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?