I finally got my 10-Year email from MS Archives. Here’s a list of what was going on when I got here …
Microsoft Launches Windows 95:
In one of the biggest product launches in software industry history, Microsoft Windows 95 debuts on August 24. Jay Leno hosts the launch event on the Microsoft Campus, which includes roving entertainers, a Ferris wheel, and exhibit pavilions featuring Windows 95-compatible products from more than 150 vendors. The launch is accompanied by a half-hour syndicated television special and a worldwide ad campaign with TV spots set to the Rolling Stones “Start Me Up.” As successful as its launch was splashy, Windows 95 sold more than 1 million copies in the first four days of release. (Windows 3.1 had taken 50 days to reach the million mark.) In the initial weekend of availability, eight copies of Windows 95 were sold in the United States every second a store was open. Within one year, 40 million units had shipped worldwide and twenty-five percent of adult computer users were running Windows 95.
Software Product Announcements:
Microsoft Plus! with Internet Explorer 1.0, Windows NT Workstation 3.51, Office Professional and Bookshelf for Windows 95, Microsoft Bob 1.0.
MSN Goes Online:
Also debuting on August 24 is The Microsoft Network. MSN provides full Internet access and a variety of content, communities, and services. “MSN extends Microsoft’s vision of a computer on every desk and in every home by connecting PC users worldwide,” comments Bill Gates. Within seven months, MSN reaches the 1 million subscriber mark. MSN now attracts more than 350 million unique users worldwide per month, with localized versions available globally in 38 markets and 18 languages.
Fiscal Year 95 revenue: $5.94 billion compared to FY05′s $39.79 billion.
Headcount: 17,801 employees, compared to 59,947 at the close of FY05.
Other 1995 Happenings:
The Oklahoma City federal building is destroyed by a bomb blast, killing 168. Far-right militia member Timothy McVeigh is quickly arrested and convicted of the crime.
Actor Christopher Reeve is paralyzed from the neck down in a horse-riding accident.
Amazon.com makes its online debut.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Kobe, Japan, killing over 5,000 and causing $200 billion worth of damage.
O.J. Simpson is acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend after a controversial 10-month trial.
The last new Calvin and Hobbes comic strip is published.
E.R., Seinfeld, and Friends are among the top television programs. The Drew Carey Show and JAG premiere.
The Dayton Accords end the three-year war in the former Yugoslavia and establish the independent nation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by a right-wing Israeli extremist.
An outbreak of Ebola virus kills 244 in Zaire.
Sun unveils the Java programming language.
The UPN and WB networks go on the air.
The Seattle Mariners enter post-season play for the first time, defeating the New York Yankees 3-2 in a dramatic Division series comeback before losing the pennant to the Cleveland Indians.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is established, superseding GATT.
Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo releases Sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo subway, killing 12 and sickening over 5,000.
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakahn promotes a Million Man March of African-Americans in Washington, D.C.
Top grossing movies of the year include Apollo 13, Babe, Toy Story, and Twelve Monkeys. Braveheart nets Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director (Mel Gibson), while Susan Sarandon wins Best Actress for Dead Man Walking, and Nicolas Cage takes Best Actor for Leaving Las Vegas.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, December 1st, 2005 at 12:17 pm and is filed under Work.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 1st, 2005 at 2:33 pm
I feel old.