Today’s History: Bill Gates and Paul Allen created Microsoft in 1975, today one billion devices are running Windows 10

Who doesn’t know Microsoft and its founder Bill Gates today? One billion devices in the world are running Windows 10, one of Microsoft’s latest offerings. Microsoft is a company that worked to increase the popularity of computers all over the world. It was founded on April 4, 1975, when most Americans used typewriters.

Two childhood friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen created Microsoft, which makes computer software. In 1979, Microsoft moved from New Mexico to Washington State, where it emerged as a large multinational technology corporation. Microsoft pulled out shares in 1987 and at 31, Gates became the world’s youngest billionaire.

When Gates and Allen started Microsoft, it was called micro-soft i.e. a combination of the initial words of microprocessors and software. The software for the Altair 8800 was made for the early personal computer at that time. Allen took a job as a programmer in Boston and Gates left Harvard University to focus on building a new company.

At that time, MITS, the maker of the Altair 8800, was operating in New Mexico, where Microsoft started operations. By the end of 1978, Microsoft’s sales had exceeded one million dollars, and in 1979 the company moved to Washington.

The company licensed its MS-DOS operating system for IBM’s first personal computer, which launched in 1981. After this other computer companies also began to license MS-DOS, which had no graphical interface and users had to type commands from which programs ran. Allen left Microsoft in 1983. At that time he was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. After successful treatment, he did many other business ventures.

In 1985 Microsoft launched a new operating system – Windows. It had a graphical interface, which included drop-down menus and other features. The very next year, the company’s headquarters moved to Redmond, Washington, and raised $61 million for $21 a share.

In the 1980s, Microsoft had become the world’s largest personal computer software company by sales. After 1995, the use of personal computers in homes and offices increased rapidly and during this time Windows 95 was also launched. It featured the start menu for the first time and sold 7 million copies in just the first five weeks.

Internet use increased in the second half of the 1990s. Then in 1995 Microsoft launched its browser called Internet Explorer.

In 1998 the US Department of Justice and the attorney general of 20 states accused Microsoft of violating antitrust laws. He used to take advantage of his market position to oust the competitors. Well, the matter was settled in 2001. And in the same year, Microsoft entered the video-game market with the Xbox console.

Pakistani PM who studied in Mumbai was hanged today
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged on April 4, 1979. He was accused of involvement in the conspiracy to murder. Not only was Bhutto thrashed a lot at the time of his arrest, but he was also forcibly taken on a stretcher till the hanging. The night before that he cried incessantly. Bhutto grew up in Mumbai. He was friends with many Indians. Bhutto also had an ancestral property in Mumbai and many of his tales from the Mumbai era are narrated by people even today.

Military dictator Zia-ul-Haq had also turned down the appeal of apology from many countries. At that time, Prime Minister Morarji Desai in India had avoided calling it an internal issue of Pakistan. But former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had appealed for forgiveness.

The murder trial against Bhutto began in October 1977. Directly to the High Court, instead of the Lower Court. He received the death penalty, which was upheld by the Supreme Court. He was hanged on 4 April 1979 in Rawalpindi Jail.

Haskell Karp got an artificial heart in 1969
Today, if someone talks about artificial heart, then nothing seems unusual. Now there is talk of making hearts with 3D printers. But imagine that 50 years ago today, the artificial heart was made in 1969 itself. It also kept a patient named Haskell Karp alive for 65 hours. It is a different matter that he died before getting the heart of man. This was the first case in medical history, when the machine acted as an artificial heart.

Important events that happened on April 4 in the country and the world are as follows-