Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the looping animated GIF image format, died some 10 days ago, just days after his 74th birthday, from complications of COVID-19, his wife, Kathaleen, confirmed to US media on Thursday.
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Wilhite invented the graphics interchange format (GIF) in 1987. The format, which enabled simple animation and utilized fast download speeds, became a hit with online users, but truly exploded when social media came onto the scene.
In 2013, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences honored Wilhite with a lifetime achievement Webby Award – the ultimate mark of excellence on the internet.
