Hewlett-Packard Over the Decades
Stanford University’s Electrical Engineering Department produced two of its most noteworthy alums – Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard – who began their successful information technology venture in a small rented garage. With the flip of a coin toss, Hewlett-Packard was created, formalizing their partnership on January 1, 1939. Shortly thereafter, HP expanded and began leasing a building in Palo Alto, California.
Their first product was not a computer but an oscillator ordered by the Walt Disney Company to place in movie theatres. In the mid 40s, HP designed a signal generator, pushing the company in to the microwave field as well. On August 18, 1947, Hewlett-Packard was incorporated but it was not until 10 years later that the company went public. During that time, they invented a high-speed frequency counter and developed their first oscilloscope.
Wanting to move in to the printing arena, Hewlett-Packard acquired its first company in 1958 – F. L. Moseley Co, who produced high-quality graphic recorders. HP went global the following year by setting up a manufacturing plant in Germany and opening a marketing firm in Switzerland. Their first joint venture brought them to Tokyo where they partnered with Yokogawa to enter the Asian market.
The 60s produced two firsts for Hewlett-Packard. In 1966 HP released its first computer and two years later, they unveiled a new personal computer which was the world’s first desktop scientific calculator. Many firsts would follow in the next decade as Hewlett-Packard expanded in to business computing, DRAM minicomputers and programmable pocket calculators.
Finally, in 1980, the first personal computer as we know them today was created, allowing the user to control instruments, add on peripherals and talk to other computers. In the mid 80s Hewlett-Packard expanded their print offerings, too, with the invention of the thermal inkjet and laser printers.
For a complete history on Hewlett-Packard including organizational structure, culture and brand, browse the comprehensive article at Wikipedia.