Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Paul G. Allen & Bill Gates

Seattle Walk of Fame

Paul G. Allen and Bill Gates Marker image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 24, 2016

1. Paul G. Allen and Bill Gates Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In 1975, guided by a belief that the personal computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, Bill Gates and Paul Allen cofounded a company called Microsoft, which would grow to become the #1 computer software company in the world.

Erected by Nordstrom.

Location. 47° 36.74′ N, 122° 20.217′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. Marker can be reached from 5th Avenue south of Olive Way. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Seattle WA 98101, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman (Sub Pop Records) (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gerard Schwarz (about 300 feet away); Father William Sullivan (about 300 feet away); John Harte McGraw (about 300 feet away); Crystal Pool (approx. 0.3 miles away); Victory Square (approx. 0.3 miles away); Site of University of Washington (approx. 0.3 miles away); "This Market Is Yours" (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

Also see . . . History of Microsoft (Wikipedia)

Paul G. Allen and Bill Gates Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 24, 2016

2. Paul G. Allen and Bill Gates Marker - Wide View

The Allen-Gates Marker is visible here, mounted in the sidewalk, with the Eddie Carlson marker to the right of it. Mounted on the wall behind them are the Nordstrom Seattle Walk of Fame plaques related to the Walk itself. Because this marker is the first on the Walk (if starting on 5th Avenue), those plaques are also provided in in Photos 3-6, but not on any other marker pages except for the last marker on 6th Street, which has identical plaques.

. The idea that would spawn Microsoft initiated when Paul Allen showed Bill Gates the first of January, 1975 issue of Popular Electronics that demonstrated the Altair 8800. Allen and Gates saw potential to develop an implementation of the programming language BASIC interpreter for the system. Bill Gates called the creators of the new microcomputer, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), offering to demonstrate the implementation in order to win a contract with the company. Allen and Gates had neither an interpreter nor an Altair system, yet in the eight weeks before the demo they developed an interpreter. When Allen flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico to meet with MITS, the interpreter worked and MITS agreed to distribute Altair BASIC. Allen and Gates left Boston, where Allen worked for Honeywell and Gates was enrolled in Harvard, moved to Albuquerque (where MITS was located), and co-founded Microsoft there. Revenues of the company totaled $16,005 by the end of 1976.... (Submitted on November 15, 2016.)

Categories. • Industry & Commerce •

Seattle Walk of Fame Plaque image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 24, 2016

3. Seattle Walk of Fame Plaque

<i>Who Are Seattle's Hometown Heroes?</i> Plaque (click on photo to enlarge) image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 24, 2016

4. Who Are Seattle's Hometown Heroes? Plaque (click on photo to enlarge)

The Cleveland High School Arts Foundry Students of 1998 Plaque image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 24, 2016

5. The Cleveland High School Arts Foundry Students of 1998 Plaque

Nordstrom Appreciation Plaque image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 24, 2016

6. Nordstrom Appreciation Plaque

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Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on November 15, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Sacramento, California. This page has been viewed 229 times since then and 4 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 15, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Sacramento, California.