Bill Gates came up with the name Microsoft in 1975 and it was the most obvious name for a company that was devoted to microcomputer software.
According to a 1975 tax return, the date Microsoft's business commenced was 4/1/1975. This is the same month that Microsoft's first product, BASIC for the MITS Altair, was completed. At some point, a PR Fast Facts sheet gave the date as 4/4/1975, however, so celebration of beginnings are often done on that date, even though there isn’t any documentary evidence that supports it.
Microsoft became a public corporation, offering 3,095,000 shares in its IPO in 3/13/1986. Microsoft stock goes public at $21 per share, rising to $27.75 per share by the end of the first trading day.
The initial public offering raised $61 million.
The “rolling hills” of the default Windows XP wallpaper was photographed by Charles O'Rear in Sonoma County, California, 30 miles north of San Francisco. This hill always became a lush green color for one week in early spring. The year after the photo was made, it became a vineyard.
Jeff Boettcher, Creative Director within Microsoft's Brand and Strategy Group, designed the Windows "flag" logo.