CXO

Tech history in photos: Heroes of the PC revolution

By // May 8, 2014, 1:00 PM PST // connerforrest

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  • Jack Tramiel of Commodore

    As the concept of personal computing hit its stride, the PC became one of humanity's most important tools ever created. Here are some of the pioneers who helped usher in the PC era.

    Jack Tramiel (left) and Michael Tomczyk of Commodore International. Commodore was founded in the 1950s in Toronto, Ontario, and the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was one of the top selling early personal computers.

    Image: Michael Tomczyk

  • Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs

    Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ronald Wayne co-founded Apple Computer in the 1970s. Wozniak designed and built the Apple II, which was released in 1977, and became one of the most popular mass-produced personal computers.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • Ed Roberts, creator of Altair

    Roberts founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) and later developed the Altair 8800 personal computer. Roberts later contracted Bill Gates and Paul Allen to develop Altair BASIC.

    Image: Haverford College

  • Douglas Engelbart, inventor of computer mouse

    Engelbart is credited as the inventor of the computer mouse. His work at Xerox PARC led to the development of the Xerox Alto, the first personal computer with a mouse and a GUI, among other things.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons/Alex Handy

  • John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert

    John Mauchly (far left) and Presper Eckert (far right) are pictured here with Major General Gladeon Barnes. Mauchly and Eckert are responsible for the creation of the ENIAC, the first general purpose computer, and the UNIVAC I, one of the first computers available to the public.

    Image: Collections of the University of Pennsylvania Archives

  • Edmund Berkeley, developer of Simon

    Edmund Berkeley was a computer scientist who helped co-found the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in 1947 and who developed the plans for Simon, one of the first personal computers. For about $600 in 1950, you could have built a Simon of your own.

    Image: Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute

  • John Lentz, inventor of IBM 610

    During his time at the Watson Lab at Columbia University, Lentz is credited with the development of the IBM 610, which is commonly referred to as IBM's first personal computer.

    Image: Columbia University

  • Nolan Bushnell of Atari

    Bushnell is the founder of Atari, Inc., which produced early video games and personal computers. The Atari 400 and the Atari 800 are regarded as Atari's entrance into personal computing. Bushnell is also the founder of Chuck E. Cheese's.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons/Tech Cocktail

  • Sir Clive Sinclair

    Sinclair is the founder of Sinclair Radionics, where he produced pocket calculators and computers. The Sinclair ZX80 was one of the first low-price mass-market personal computers to be sold in the UK.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons/Adrian Pingstone

  • Gordon French and the Homebrew Computer Club

    Early computer hobbyists in Silicon Valley often attended meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club. The first meeting was held in French's garage, and the meetings would eventually draw the likes of future industry leaders such as Steve Wozniak.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons/Cromemco

Jack Tramiel of Commodore

As the concept of personal computing hit its stride, the PC became one of humanity's most important tools ever created. Here are some of the pioneers who helped usher in the PC era.

Jack Tramiel (left) and Michael Tomczyk of Commodore International. Commodore was founded in the 1950s in Toronto, Ontario, and the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) was one of the top selling early personal computers.

Image: Michael Tomczyk

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By Conner Forrest

Conner Forrest is a Senior Editor for TechRepublic. He covers enterprise technology and is interested in the convergence of tech and culture.