William Hewlett and David Packard, Co-Recipients, 1995 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award

Hewlett and Packard first met as undergraduate students at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. After graduation in 1934, Hewlett went to MIT to earn a master's degree in electrical engineering, while Packard worked at General Electric. Following these pursuits, both returned to Stanford—Hewlett to receive his degree of engineer and Packard to start a fellowship. During this time, the two were encouraged to contribute to the foundation of a technology community in the Palo Alto area, today known as Silicon Valley.

In 1939 Hewlett and Packard established their enterprise in Packard's garage. A coin toss decided their company name—the result was the Hewlett Packard Company. Their first product was a resistance capacity audio oscillator, based on Hewlett's graduate work, which Walt Disney Studios purchased to produce Fantasia.

Throughout the years, the company grew and outpaced competition through its technological innovations. Among its most notable accomplishments are the high speed frequency counter (1951)—used by radio stations to meet FCC requirements; the cesium-beam standard clock (1964)—sets international time standards; the first desktop calculator (1968); the first scientific hand-held calculator (1972); the first desktop mainframe computer (1982); and the successful HP Laserjet Printer series—a paragon in the industry.

Originating in Packard's garage with $538 and two employees, the Hewlett-Packard Company has evolved as one of the world's largest corporations, as ranked by Fortune magazine.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• William Hewlett
• David Packard
• Lemelson Foundation
• Lemelson-MIT
• Hewlett Packard
• HP

[GerretBlake]

DrBPhD as a former HP employee I fully agree!!

[DrBPhD]

HP was (I regret that I have to say "was") an excellent company. High quality, innovative, professional equipment made by professionals just to be used by professionals. Nowadays the company is only a shadow of what it used to be.

[pikabko1]

too bad some good enventers at that time done something so great and today Hewlett Packard is nothing more then a black market compnay selling dead computers for a living. I have ma3 dead uselss notebook computers out of the box made in black market China. Hewlett packard have the wrost customer service on the market. also uses spyware hardware and softeware to rip off peoples ID and sell it to other big business. I do not recoamnd Hewlett packard to any one. Hewlett pckard must close down