Grid Compass 1101

The first true laptop computer is designed in 1979 by British engineer William Moggridge for Grid Systems Corporation. The $10,000 Grid Compass 1101 features a clamshell design and is one-fifth the weight of comparable computers. The computer runs from batteries, has 384-KB of bubble memory, and is equipped with a 320 by 200-pixel plasma display.
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Longest Internet domain name

What is the longest Internet domain name in the world? According to the domain registrars, the longest legal domain name is 63 characters starting with a letter or number. The longest domain name in the world reportedly belongs to the official homepage of a Welsh, United Kingdom village called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
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Cray Research

Computer designer Seymour Cray founds Cray Research in 1972. After several years of development, Cray Research's first product, the Cray-1 Supercomputer, is released in 1976. Faced with several costly development projects, the company runs out of money and files for bankruptcy in 1995. Cray dies of injuries suffered in a car accident on October 5, 1996 at age 71.
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The IBM 1401

The IBM 1401 Data Processing System is released in October 1959. Priced at $2,500 per month, this is IBM's first affordable general-purpose computer for business. The 1401 is host to one of the earliest high-level business-oriented programming languages, Report Program Generator (RPG), which increases its usability and popularity. The IBM 1401 is the first computer to sell 10,000 units.
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The 386 microprocessor

Intel Corporation introduces the 80386 microprocessor chip in October 1985. The 386 is a 32-bit microprocessor containing over 275,000 transistors on a single chip, capable of four million operations per second. This gives PCs as much speed and power as older mainframes and minicomputers and makes graphical operating environments like Windows and OS/2 practical.
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The PowerPC

Apple, IBM, and Motorola announce an alliance to create the PowerPC on October 2, 1991. The PowerPC is based on IBM's Power microprocessor, one of the first superscalar RISC implementations. The alliance creates two other companies: Taligent to develop an object-oriented operating system for the PowerPC, and Kaleida Labs to develop multimedia software, tools and scripting languages.
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Stanford University

California Governor Leland Stanford purchases 650 acres of land in 1876. He later buys adjoining properties to bring his farm to more than 8,000 acres. This land is the future site of Stanford University, which opens its doors on October 1, 1891. Through the 20th century, Stanford University establishes itself as a world-class engineering and technology institution at the center of Silicon Valley.
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