On this edition of “This Week in Tech History”, we remember the launch of two of the biggest giants in the tech industry. Also, Google launches a new e-mail service.
This week in 1960 – The first U.S. weather satellite was launched. “TIROS I” was put into orbit. The TIROS-1 satellite transmitted the first television picture from space and meteorologists saw the first pictures of a mid-latitude cyclone over the northeastern United States.
1975 – Microsoft was founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
One year later, in 1976 – Apple is formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Cupertino, California. Shortly afterwards, Ronald Wayne sold his 10 percent stake in Apple, Inc. for $800.
2004 – Google announced a new service to the public. A project that up until then was known by the code name, Caribou. The project’s real name was Gmail, and it quickly became one of the most popular e-mail services around.
And this week in 2010 – Apple Inc. released the first generation iPad, which quickly became to most popular tablet computer.