History of the Web – First Graphical Browser for the World Wide Web Identify the earliest widely recognized graphical web browser that helped popularize the modern Web.

Introduction / Context:
Graphical web browsers transformed the Internet from a researcher’s tool into a mainstream medium. The first influential browser with integrated images and a user-friendly interface accelerated public adoption of the Web.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We consider mainstream, early graphical browsers.
• The answer should predate Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.
• We are not referring to non-web tools like Gopher search utilities.

Concept / Approach:
Mosaic, developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), appeared in the early 1990s and is widely credited as the first popular graphical web browser. It offered inline images and an approachable UI, paving the way for Netscape and, later, Internet Explorer.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Historical web timelines and NCSA archives acknowledge Mosaic’s release and impact on public web adoption.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Netscape: Launched later (derived in part from Mosaic team influence).
• Veronica: A Gopher search service, not a web browser.
• Explorer: Internet Explorer appeared later, building on the already established graphical web era.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing Netscape’s commercial success with being the first; or mistaking Veronica’s role in Gopher for the Web.

Final Answer:
Mosaic