1974

• Intel releases its 2-MHz 8080 chip, an 8-bit microprocessor. It can access 64KB of memory. It uses 6000 transistors, base on 6-micron technology. Speed is 0.64 MIPS.

• Intel receives a patent for a "memory system for a multichip digital computer".

• Radio Electronics magazine publishes an article on building a Mark-8 microcomputer, designed by Jonathan Titus, using the Intel 8008.

• Creative Computing, the first magazine for home computerists, is founded.
• Hal Singer starts the Micro-8 Newsletter for enthusiasts of the Mark-8.
• Bravo is developed for the Xerox Alto computer. It is the first WYSIWYG program for a personal computer.
• Despite being US$300,000 in debt, Ed Roberts is able to borrow an additional US$65,000 from the bank to complete work on what would be the Altair.

• Hal Chamberlin and others begin publishing The Computer Hobbyist magazine.

• Scelbi sells its last Scelbi-8H, discontinuing hardware to concentrate on software.
• Popular Electronics publishes an article by MITS announcing the Altair 8800 computer for US$439 in kit form. It uses the Intel 8080 processor. The Altair pictured on the cover of the magazine is actually a mock-up, as an actual computer was not available.
• Les Solomon, publisher of Popular Electronics, receives Altair number 0001.

• (spring) In a desperate act to save his failing calculator company, MITS company owner Ed Roberts begins building a small computer based on Intel's new 8080 chip, with plans to sell it for the unheard of price of US$500.

• Southwest Technical Products Company introduces the TVT-11 kit for US$180, and ASCII keyboard kit for US$40.

• Gary Kildall, of Microcomputer Applications Associates, develops the CP/M operating system for Intel 8080-based systems.

• Motorola introduces its 6800 chip, an early 8-bit microprocessor used in microcomputers and industrial and automotive control devices. The 6800 was designed by Chuck Peddle and Charlie Melear.

• Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie develop the C programming language.

• RCA releases the 1802 processor, running at a blazing 6.4 MHz. It is considered one of the first RISC chips. It is used on a variety of devices, from video games to NASA space probes.

• Engineer David Ahl suggests Digital Equipment produce an inexpensive version of its PDP-8 minicomputer, for US$5000. Top management call the idea foolish.

• Xerox releases the Alto computer.

• Gary Kildall and John Torode begin selling the CP/M disk operating system for microcomputers.

• Lauren Solomon, 12 year old daughter of Les Solomon, publisher of Popular Electronics, suggests the name "Altair" for Ed Robert's new microcomputer. Altair was the name of where Star Trek's Enterprise was going that night on TV.

• Railway Express loses Ed Robert's only prototype Altair computer, en route to New York for review and photography for publishing by Popular Electronics.

• (1975?) IBM scientist John Cocke completes a prototype high-reliability, low-maintenance computer called the ServiceFree. It incorporates a RISC architecture, achieving at least 80 MIPS, 50 times faster than IBM's fastest mainframe at the time. However, the project is later canceled due to the massive "Future Systems" project consuming much of IBM's resources.

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