On December 19, 1974, computer company, MITS, started selling the Altair 8800 personal computer. Often considered the first personal computer, the Altair 8800 sold as a kit for consumers to assemble upon purchase. Sales were slow at first, but that changed when the 8800 appeared on the cover of the January 1975 issue of "Popular Electronics"! MITS was only projected to sell 800 units, but sold over 5,000 units by August of 1975! The software used for the Altair was BASIC, which was written by Paul Allen and Bill Gates, who had just begun their company, Microsoft!
