In context
- When
- Thursday, September 14 200026 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 20th century · 2000s
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
At a glance
Dates: From 1975-04-04.
Place: United States.
Type: software company, business, technology company, and public company.
Founded / initiated by: Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
What came before
Part of: Nasdaq-100, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Big Tech.
Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted
Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. The company moved to Seattle in 1979 and began developing operating systems and software applications.
Who was involvedAI-assisted
Bill Gates served as CEO and Paul Allen as executive vice president during Microsoft's founding and early growth. Steve Ballmer joined in 1980 as the first business manager and later became president, playing a key role in the company's expansion and business strategy.
TimelineAI-assisted
April 4, 1975: Microsoft founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. August 1981: MS-DOS released for IBM's first personal computer, establishing Microsoft's dominance in operating systems.
April 2, 1986: Microsoft went public at $21 per share. October 20, 1983: Microsoft Word released. May 22, 1990: Windows 3.0 launched, becoming the first commercially successful graphical operating system.
What happened
History Main article: History of Microsoft For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Microsoft . 1972–1985: Founding An Altair 8800 computer (left) with the popular Model 33 ASR Teletype as terminal, paper tape reader, and paper tape punch Paul Allen and Bill Gates on October 19, 1981, after signing a pivotal contract with IBM [ 1 ] : 228 
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company became influential in the rise of personal computers through software like Windows and has since expanded into areas such as Internet services, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, video gaming, and more. A Big Tech company, Microsoft is the largest software company by revenue, one of the most valuable public companies, and one of the most valuable brands globally.
September 14 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
Also in 2000
- May 11Second Chechen WarSecond Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia.
- November 17LandslideA catastrophic landslide in Log pod Mangartom, Slovenia, kills seven, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catast…
- November 17Alberto FujimoriAlberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru.
- May 25Resistance and Liberation Day (Lebanon)Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa farms zone) 18 ye…
- June 26Human Genome ProjectThe Human Genome Project announces the completion of a "rough draft" sequence.
- May 4Ken LivingstoneKen Livingstone took office as the first mayor of London.
- July 31MudflowThree years after being hit by a mudslide, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery in Hong Kong fully reopened.
- January 4TrondheimA Norwegian passenger train departing from Trondheim, collides with a local train coming from Hamar in Åsta in Åmot Municipality; 19 peop…
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“Microsoft”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/microsoft-2000-september-14, accessed October 24, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did Microsoft happen?
September 14 2000 — 26 years ago, on a Thursday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
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