Nat Wadsworth
It was in September 1972, when Nathaniel “Nat” G. Wadsworth (30 May 1943-25 Nov 1998), a 29-year-old electrical engineer, decided to leave his job to create a new kind of computer. Working with a few friends (Bob Findley (who became his main engineering and business partner), Fred Lucas, and Frank..Read More
Jonathan Titus
The humble Mark-8 was introduced as the “Personal Minicomputer” and is known as one of the first computers for the home. It was designed in 1972-1973 by Jonathan “Jon” Titus, a Virginia Polytechnic graduate student in chemistry and a computing hobbyist who had the desire to build his own computer...Read More
Ed Roberts
In contrast with the first microprocessor-based personal computer—Micral of Gernelle, and the first microprocessor-based computer kit—Scelbi-8H of Wadsworth, the MITS Altair 8800 was an extremely successful market product. The designer—Ed Roberts intended to sell only a few hundred to hobbyists, but he was surprised when he sold thousands in the..Read More
Michael Wise
The Sphere 1 computer, one of the earliest microcomputers, was touted by its creator—Michael Donald Wise (1949-2002), the founder and president of Sphere Corporation, a computer company based in Bountiful, Utah, as the first true PC, because it had a keyboard (with a number pad), a monitor, external storage, and did..Read More
Robert Suding
In July 1974 Dr. Robert Suding (1937-2018), a former Latin teacher and a self-taught electrical engineer, saw the Mark-8 Minicomputer of Titus on the cover of Radio Electronics magazine and then built one. In just a few weeks Suding became a Mark-8 “expert”, who started to design his own upgrades..Read More
Seymour Cray
Seymour Cray (1925–1996) is a legendary USA engineer and supercomputer architect who designed a series of computers, that were the fastest in the world for decades. Sometimes recognized as the Father of Supercomputing, Cray has been credited with creating the supercomputer industry. How does this story start? fter his 2-years..Read More
Charles Muench
It was in the late 1960s, when Charles Arthur Muench Jr (born in 1937 in Tampa, Florida), got the idea to design a color graphics terminal for use in the electric utility industry. Muench had a BSc degree in electrical engineering (1955-1960) at Georgia Tech, an MSEE at the University..Read More
Jobs and Wozniak
The two Steves—Steven Paul Jobs (1955–2011) and Stephen “Woz” Gary Wozniak (born 1950) started their business partnership in the fall of 1971 when Woz (the technical genius of the pair) designed a device that could place free long-distance phone calls by emitting specific tone chirps. Jobs (the business genius of..Read More
Lee Felsenstein
Lee Felsenstein (born 27 April 1945 in Philadelphia) is an American computer engineer who played a significant role in the development of the personal computer, designing two important machines—Sol-20 and Osborne 1 (one of the first portable computers), as well as another computer hardware, like the Pennywhistle modem (1973). n..Read More
Michael Shrayer
In 1975, Michael Shrayer, a 41 years old semi-retired filmmaker from New York, moved to California. Enjoying assembling electronic kits, there he purchased and assembled a MITS Altair 8800 computer kit after seeing the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics. He later expanded his Altair with a paper punch, video..Read More