| Important Dates | |
| Date | Event |
|
1975 |
Microsoft founded |
|
Jan. 1, 1979 |
Microsoft moves from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue, Washington |
|
June 25, 1981 |
Microsoft incorporates |
|
Aug. 12, 1981 |
IBM introduces its personal computer with Microsoft’s 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0 |
|
Feb. 26, 1986 |
Microsoft moves to corporate campus in Redmond, Washington |
|
March 13, 1986 |
Microsoft stock goes public |
|
Aug. 1, 1989 |
Microsoft introduces earliest version of Office suite of productivity applications |
|
May 22, 1990 |
Microsoft launches Windows 3.0 |
|
Aug. 24, 1995 |
Microsoft launches Windows 95 |
|
Dec. 7, 1995 |
Bill Gates outlines Microsoft’s commitment to supporting and enhancing the Internet |
|
June 25, 1998 |
Microsoft launches Windows 98 |
|
Jan. 13, 2000 |
Steve Ballmer named president and chief executive officer for Microsoft |
|
Feb. 17, 2000 |
Microsoft launches Windows 2000 |
|
June 22, 2000 |
Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer outline Microsoft’s .NET strategy for Web services |
|
May 31, 2001 |
Microsoft launches Office XP |
|
Oct. 25, 2001 |
Microsoft launches Windows XP |
|
Jan. 15, 2002 |
Bill Gates outlines Microsoft’s commitment to Trustworthy Computing |
|
Nov. 7, 2002 |
Microsoft and partners launch Tablet PC |
|
Jan. 16, 2003 |
Microsoft declares annual dividend |
|
April 24, 2003 |
Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003 |
|
Oct. 21, 2003 |
Microsoft launches Microsoft Office System |
|
July 20, 2004 |
Microsoft announces plans to return up to $75 billion to shareholders in dividends and stock buybacks |
|
June 15, 2006 |
Microsoft announces that Bill Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company in July 2008, Ray Ozzie is named chief software architect and Craig Mundie chief research and strategy officer |
|
July 20, 2006 |
Microsoft announces a new $20 billion tender offer and authorizes an additional share-repurchase program of up to $20 billion over five years |
|
Jan. 30, 2007 |
Microsoft launches Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System to consumers worldwide |
|
Feb. 27, 2008 |
Microsoft launches Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 |
|
June 27, 2008 |
Bill Gates transitions from his day-to-day role at Microsoft to spend more time on his work at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
Thanks Man.