The History of Java Technology - Official page from Sub about the history of Java, including a timeline and video of interviews with some of the original developers. - http://www.java.com/en/javahistory/
Java Technology: The Early Years - Feature article about the early development of the language. - http://java.sun.com/features/1998/05/birthday.html
Java: Cornerstone of the Global Network Enterprise? - Brian Youman's paper on Java including some historical notes: "Java: Cornerstone of the Global Network Enterprise?" - http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Youmans.Java.html