Milestones in Microsoft's first 28 years

1975				Microsoft founded. Jan. 1: The MITS Altair 8800 appears on the cover of Popular Electronics, inspiring Paul Allen and Bill Gates to develop a BASIC language for the Altair.
1976	Nov. 26: The trade name "Microsoft" is registered with the New Mexico secretary of state.
1978	Dec. 31: Microsoft's year-end sales exceed $1 million.
1979	Jan. 1: Microsoft moves from Albuquerque, N. M., to Bellevue.
1981	June 25: Microsoft incorporates. August 12: IBM introduces its personal computer with Microsoft's 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0.
1983	Sept. 29: Microsoft introduces Word for MS-DOS 1.00.
1986	Feb. 26: Microsoft moves to corporate campus in Redmond. March 13: Microsoft stock goes public.
1989	Aug. 1: Microsoft introduces earliest version of Office suite of productivity applications.
1990	May 22: Microsoft launches Windows 3.0. July 15: Kicking off its 15th-anniversary celebration, Microsoft becomes the first personal- computer software company to exceed $1 billion in sales in a year, with revenues of $1.8 billion.
1995	Aug. 24: Microsoft launches Windows 95. Dec. 7: Gates outlines Microsoft's commitment to supporting and enhancing the Internet.
1996	June 23: Gates and his wife, Melinda French Gates, announce the formation of the Gates Library Foundation.
1998	May 18: Government files antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft. June 25: Microsoft launches Windows 98. Oct. 19: Landmark antitrust trial begins.
2000	Jan. 13: Gates creates a new role for himself — chairman and chief software architect — passing CEO role to Steve Ballmer. Feb. 17: Microsoft launches Windows 2000. June 22: Gates and Ballmer outline Microsoft's .NET strategy for Web services.
2001	Oct. 25: Microsoft launches Windows XP. Nov. 15: Microsoft Xbox launches.
2002	Nov. 1: U.S. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issues her final judgment conditionally approving the Microsoft antitrust settlement.
2003	2003: First dividend to be paid March 7.

Microsoft at midlife: The series