Here is a start at a VRML (pronunced "vermel") timeline.
VRML is the Virtual Reality Modeling Language. 28-APR-95 jch@oki.com


In 1965, Ivan Sutherland laid out a research program for computer
graphics in a paper called "The Ultimate Display" that has driven the
field for the past nearly thirty years.
<ftp://sunee.uwaterloo.ca/pub/vr/documents/whatisvr.txt>

  "One must look at a display screen, as a window
through which one beholds a virtual world. The challenge to
computer graphics is to make the picture in the window look
real, sound real and the objects act real." [quoted from
Computer Graphics V26#3]

Q2  1963 SKETCHPAD paper published, Ivan Sutherland
XXX-1963 Engelbart publishes "A Conceptual Framework for the Augmentation
                                  of Man's Intellect"
XXX-1969 ARPANET connects 4 western U.S. scientist (becomes internet)
Oct 1971 GINO paper published, P.A. Woodsford.
XXX-1979 MUD1 Richard Bartle  Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw (MUD FAQ)
XXX-1984 Gibson publishes Neuromancer
XXX-1986 SGML - standard ISO 8879:1986 Standard Generalized Markup Language
XXX-1987 Jeff Conklin publishes "A Survey of Hypertext".
XXX-1988 IRC Internet Relay Chat written by Jarkko Oikarinen
MAR-1989 First Project Proposal - Tim Berners Lee 
             http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/History.html
NOV-1990 First World Wide Web Prototype
NOV-1990 LambdaMOO starts up
AUG-1991 Web announced in alt.hypertext, comp.text.sgml, comp.mail.multi-media
XXX-1991 Neal Stephenson publishes Snow Crash.
AUG-1992 SIGGRAPH92 Inventor announced?
XXX-1992 ISO 10744 Hypermedia/Time-based Structuring Language (HyTime)
JAN-1993 XMosaic alpha released, 50 HTTP servers
SEP-1993 Mosaic for Mac, PC, in addition to X machines.
             (Web traffic 1% of NSF backbone)
XXX-1993 ISO 10646 - Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set
JAN-1994 Labyrinth application started Mark Pesce & Tony Parisi
APR-1994 VRML term coined. http://vrml.wired.com/concepts/raggett.html
MAY-1994 1st Web Conference  VRML BOF, Mark Pesce presents Cyberspace Protocol
JUN-1994 www-vrml mailing list started - Brian Behlendorf & Mark Pesce
AUG-1994 SIGGRAPH94 - Discussion group for selecting basis of VRML
OCT-1994 2nd Web Conference - VRML Draft announced, NetScape beta.
NOV-1994 VRML 1.0 Draft - Gavin Bell, Tony Parisi and Mark Pesce.
DEC-1994 W3C - World Wide Web Consortium first meeting at MIT-LCS TimBL
JAN-1995 QvLib - VRML parser released Paul Strauss & Gavin Bell
MAR-1995 Ubique Ltd. virtual trade show - interaction on the web
         http://www.ubique.com/
MAR-1995 Web packets (port 80) pass FTP traffic to be leading Internet protocol
APR-1995 SGI, TGS announce WebSpace and 17 others endorse VRML.
         http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1995/April/vrml-webspace.html
APR-1995 WWW3 Darmstadt.de Mark Pesce presents VRML Equinox at Developer's day