Jason Fitzpatrick writes: “The humble GIF file has been with us for a long time. Sadly, the creator of the GIF, computer scientist Steve Wilhite, passed away in March 2022. In honor of him and his contribution, we hope you enjoy these facts and think about him the next time you fire off an animated GIF in a group chat.” The first GIF, created in 1987, was likely an image of an airplane, and undoubtedly a still image. (The format didn’t support animation until a 1989 update.) And despite standing for Graphics Interchange Format, it’s pronounced “Jif”—at least according to Wilhite.