What Happened on March 27th

Bill Gates gives the opening address at the First Annual World Altair Computer Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico. MITS, the company that developed the Altair, had set up shop in the southwestern city to develop its kit computer, which was a hit among hobbyists after it graced the cover of Popular Electronics magazine. Gates, then a 20-year-old erstwhile Harvard student, had helped develop the form of BASIC sold with the Altair.