April 1975
Microsoft founded
February 1976
In letter, Gates accuses PC hobbyists of stealing software
August 1981
IBM ships PC with Microsoft's MS-DOS 1.0
November 1985
Gates' prodigy, Windows 1.0, debuts
August 1989
Microsoft's cash cow, Office, appears
June 1990
FTC investigates Microsoft business practices
August 1993
Justice Department takes over investigation
July 1994
Microsoft agrees to consent decree
August 1995
Internet Explorer's arrival is a bad omen for Netscape
May 1998
Justice Department sues Microsoft for violating consent decree
October 1998
Leaked "Halloween" memos identify Linux as a threat
January 2000
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation formed
July 2002
Gates explains "trustworthy computing"
December 2005
Bill, Melinda, and Bono are Time's Persons of the Year
June 2006
Craig Mundie and Ray Ozzie take over some of Gates' duties
July 2008
Gates to end day-to-day role at Microsoft, remain as chairman