the major Java versions up to that point:

1. Java 1.0 (January 1996): The initial release of Java introduced the core features of the language and platform, including the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

2. Java 1.1 (February 1997): This version added several new features, including the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT), JavaBeans, and the JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) API.

3. Java 1.2 (Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 1.2 – December 1998): A significant update, Java 1.2 introduced the Swing GUI toolkit, collections framework, and the Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI).

4. Java 1.3 (Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 1.3 – May 2000): Added features such as the HotSpot JVM, Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) enhancements, and the Java Naming and Directory Service (JNDS).

5. Java 1.4 (Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 1.4 – February 2002): Introduced significant enhancements, including assert statements, regular expressions, and the NIO (New I/O) package.

6. Java 5 (Java 5.0 or Java 1.5 – September 2004): Brought major language enhancements, including generics, metadata annotations, enumerated types, and the enhanced for-loop.

7. Java 6 (Java 6 or Java 1.6 – December 2006): Focused on performance improvements, introduced scripting support via the inclusion of the scripting API (javax.script package), and introduced improvements in monitoring and management.

8. Java 7 (Java 7 or Java 1.7 – July 2011): Added features like the try-with-resources statement, the diamond operator for generic types, and the Fork/Join framework for parallel programming.

9. Java 8 (Java 8 – March 2014): Introduced lambdas, the Stream API for functional programming, the java.time package for modern date and time handling, and the Nashorn JavaScript engine.

10. Java 9 (Java 9 – September 2017): Introduced the module system (Project Jigsaw), which provides better modularization of Java applications. It also included improvements to the process API and the introduction of the “jshell” REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop).

11. Java 10 (Java 10 – March 2018): Focused on improving developer productivity with local-variable type inference (var keyword), enhanced Docker container support, and minor language and API enhancements.

12. Java 11 (Java 11 – September 2018): An LTS (Long-Term Support) release, Java 11 added features such as the removal of deprecated APIs, HTTP client updates, and Epsilon garbage collector.

13. Java 12 (Java 12 – March 2019): Introduced experimental features like switch expressions and improvements to the garbage collector.

14. Java 13 (Java 13 – September 2019): Included enhancements like text blocks, dynamic CDS (Class Data Sharing), and improvements to the switch expressions.

15. Java 14 (Java 14 – March 2020): Introduced records (a new class type for modeling data) and pattern matching as preview features, along with other improvements.

16. Java 15 (Java 15 – September 2020): Added sealed classes and interfaces as a preview feature, along with other enhancements.

17. Java 16 (Java 16 – March 2021): Included pattern matching for instanceof and other language enhancements and runtime improvements.

18. Java 17 (Java 17 – September 2021): An LTS release, Java 17 brought many features and improvements, including sealed classes and interfaces, pattern matching for switch, strong encapsulation of internal APIs, and the foreign function and memory API.