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Timeline of IBM History

A timeline of the major achievements of IBM.

By , About.com Guide

21. 1981 IBM PC

IBM PCMary Bellis
In 1981, the IBM PC iwas built, one of the first computers intended for home consumer use. The IBM PC costs $1,565, and was the smallest and cheapest computer built to-date. IBM hired Microsoft to write an operating system for its PC, which was called MS-DOS.

22. 1983 Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

IBM researchers invented scanning tunneling microscopy, that produces for the first time three-dimensional images of the atomic surfaces of silicon, gold, nickel and other solids.

23. 1986 Nobel Prize

Photo Taken By Scanning Tunneling Microscope - STMCourtesy IBM
IBM Zurich Research Laboratory fellows Gerd K. Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer win the 1986 Nobel Prize in physics for their work in scanning tunneling microscopy. Drs. Binnig and Rohrer are recognized for developing a powerful microscopy technique which permits scientists to make images of surfaces so detailed that individual atoms may be seen.

24. 1987 Nobel Prize

IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory fellows J. Georg Bednorz and K. Alex Mueller receive the 1987 Nobel Prize for physics for their breakthrough discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in a new class of materials. This is the second consecutive year the Nobel Prize for physics has been presented to IBM researchers.

25. 1990 Scanning Tunneling Microscope

IBM scientists discover how to move and position individual atoms on a metal surface, using a scanning tunneling microscope. The technique is demonstrated at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, where scientists created the world's first structure: the letters "I-B-M" - assembled one atom at a time.

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