Altair 8800
The computer age reached a milestone when the Altair 8800 — a precursor to the PC — became available on this date in 1974, allowing anyone to build a computer at home. The microcomputer kit was originally intended to be sold to hobbyists, but it was an instant hit, and in 1990 the computer went on display at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of History and Technology in Washington, DC. The microcomputer was designed by Ed Roberts, who had been producing calculator kits for hobbyists. Altair BASIC, the interpreter for the programming language that ran the 8800 was the brainchild and first product of Bill Gates' and Paul Allen's new company, Micro-Soft.
Quote: "Buying the right computer and getting it to work properly is no more complicated than building a nuclear reactor from wristwatch parts in a darkened room using only your teeth." — Dave Barry
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