Tech & Science · 1975
1975: The Dawn of the Personal Computer
In 1975, the seeds of the digital revolution took root alongside landmark international space handshakes. From personal microcomputers to the world's first digital camera, science and technology expanded into daily life and distant worlds.
- January 1975 | MITS | United States
Altair 8800 Microcomputer
Featured on the cover of Popular Electronics, this do-it-yourself kit sparked the personal computer revolution across the globe.
- July 15–24, 1975 | Space Mission
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts docked in Earth orbit, sharing a historic handshake that symbolized a thaw in Cold War tension.
- April 4, 1975 | Software | United States
Founding of Microsoft
Bill Gates and Paul Allen established Micro-Soft to write BASIC programming software for the newly released Altair 8800.
- December 1975 | Kodak | Invention
Kodak's First Digital Camera
Kodak engineer Steven Sasson constructed the first self-contained digital camera, capturing 0.01-megapixel images onto a cassette tape.
- May 10, 1975 | Sony | Japan
Sony Betamax Release
Sony introduced the Betamax videocassette format to Japan, kicking off the home video revolution and the legendary format war.
- August 20, 1975 | NASA | Spaceflight
Viking 1 Mars Mission Launch
NASA launched Viking 1 on a historic journey to Mars, aiming to achieve the first successful soft landing on the Red Planet.
- February 24–27, 1975 | Biotechnology
Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA
Leading scientists gathered in California to establish voluntary safety guidelines for research on recombinant DNA and genetic engineering.
- October 22, 1975 | Soviet Union
Venera 9 Venus Surface Photos
The Soviet probe Venera 9 landed on Venus and transmitted the first-ever black-and-white images from the surface of another planet.
Enjoyed your trip back in time?