The article presents a few HTML features. (From the title I didn't know what to expect.) Summary:

• There are new HTML attributes (popover) that help with modals/popups/menus.
• You can toggle (show/hide) content with HTML. (The summary/details elements have been around for a long time.)
• For text input, you can provide a datalist of entries to auto-complete. It isn't supported by Firefox yet.

Ironically, the article showed a blank space where a graphic would go before I bothered to enable Javascript. On the plus side, it was readable regardless.

You mean: how the web was before it turned into shit?