In 1977 Digital Equipment Corporation CEO Ken Olson proclaimed, "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home." It was a statement he would later regret. Microcomputer technology and the vision of pioneers like Apple Computer Corp.'s Steve Jobs made personal computers a reality. A detailed history of Apple Computers is at Apple II History. For more information about the heady days of the microcomputer industry, read the fast-paced book Accidental Empires : How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date by Robert X. Cringely (Published by HarperCollins, 1996).

For the flavor of today's microcomputer industry, watch your cable TV listings for Stewart Cheifet's "Computer Chronicles" or PCTV's "@Home".

Additional Links

Chronology of Events in the History of Microcomputers   If you want to learn more about events that occurred as microcomputers developed, this chronology will fill you in on some of the details. The author of this chronology, Ken Polsson, compiled the events from product announcements and product delivery dates.

History of the Microcomputer Revolution   At this Web site, you can read transcripts from the radio program "Raw Bytes Computer News," which is produced by Frank Delaney and is broadcast on National Public Radio station KPBX FM 91.1 in Spokane, Washington. Some of "The Microcomputer Revolution" program topics include The Historic Background, The Revolution Begins, The Washington State Connection, High School Kid's Computer Company, and The World's First Commercially Available PC.

Computer History at the Smithsonian   At the Smithsonian Museum's Computer History Web site, you can view materials from the National Museum of American History. You can take an Information Age Tour, which includes images from the exhibition Information Age: People, Information & Technology. You can read a discussion of computer sciences from the Directorate for Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering (CISE) and follow links to computer sites around the world. In addition, you can read transcripts, listen to sound clips, and view video clips from oral and video histories of leading figures in the history of computing.

A History of the Microprocessor   At this Web site, you can play a history game devised by Intel. Intel invites you to travel back in time, "found a Silicon Valley startup, invent cutting-edge technology, and stay in business." Your reward is developing an understanding of how high technology inventions can be created and seeing a piece of history-making technology. This Web site is part of Intel's celebration of the 25th anniversary of the microprocessor.