What to know about BTS as the popular K-pop group returns from mandatory military service
BTS is expected to reunite later this year. The K-pop group routinely breaks records and are credited for bringing the…
Steve Wilhite, inventor of the GIF file, attends the 17th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 21, 2013 in New York City. Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Webby Awards
Stephen Wilhite, inventor of the GIF format, has died
Stephen Wilhite, the inventor of the internet-popular short-video format, the GIF, has died. He was 74.
His wife, Kathaleen, said Thursday in a phone interview that he died of COVID on March 14.
Wilhite, who lived in Milford, Ohio, won a Webby lifetime achievement award in 2013 for inventing the GIF, which decades after its creation became omnipresent in memes and on social media, often used as a cheeky representation of a cultural moment.
READ MORE: In the age of memes, how are young people getting their news?
Wilhite was working at CompuServe in 1987 when he invented the GIF. "I saw the format I wanted in my head and then I started programming," he told The New York Times in 2013, saying the first image was an airplane and insisting that the file had only one pronunciation – a soft "G," like Jif peanut butter. Those using the hard "G," as in "got" or "given," "are wrong," he said. "End of story."
In that interview, he said the '90s-era dancing baby GIF is a favorite of his.
"There's way more to him than inventing GIF," Kathaleen Wilhite said of her husband, who loved trains, with a room dedicated to them in the basement of their house with "enormous train tr acks," as well as taking camping trips. Still, even after he retired in 2001, "he never stopped programming," she said.
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
More Stories
Watch
New jazz fellowship honors long-time musicians who often struggle financially
Unless you’re a longtime jazz aficionado, you might only know the names and music of a handful of stars and…
Watch
A comedian's Brief But Spectacular take on dad jokes
Comedian and illustrator Mo Welch has built a career blending sharp humor with emotional honesty. Her recent special, "Dad Jokes,"…
Watch
New biography documents life of pioneering LGBTQ rights activist Marsha P. Johnson
A new biography, "Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson," tells the story of the Black transgender pioneer’s…
Watch
Why Fulbright board members resigned in mass last week
A week ago, 11 of the 12 members of the board overseeing the prestigious Fulbright Program, which promotes international educational…
Tom Cruise finally awarded an (honorary) Oscar
Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and “Do The Right Thing” production designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary…
Doctor who supplied ketamine to Matthew Perry will plead guilty
A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the “Friends” star's overdose death has…
Watch
Author Colum McCann's novel 'Twist' explores isolation in the internet age
How lost are we without our devices? Or putting it more simply, as novelist Colum McCann might: just how isolated…
Brian Wilson, visionary leader of the Beach Boys, dies at 82
Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression made him one…
Watch
Smithsonian board rejects Trump's attempt to fire top leader
The Smithsonian’s board of regents issued a statement on Monday declaring that “all personnel decisions are made by and subject…
Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against 'It Ends With Us' costar Blake Lively
The judge ruled that Baldoni can't sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made…
Watch
Tonys celebrate star-studded shows that propelled Broadway to record-breaking year
Broadway hit a record-breaking box office haul of $1.9 billion this season driven by renewed interest in the Great White…
Watch
Sarah Silverman's Brief But Spectacular take on saying goodbye
Sarah Silverman is known as one of the sharpest, most fearless voices in comedy, pushing the art form in new…
Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82
Sly Stone, the revolutionary musician and dynamic showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s…
Warner Bros. Discovery to split streaming and cable services into 2 separate companies
Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, based in New York City, jumped 11% at the opening bell.