In 1999, I was gobsmacked by reading the NY Times Magazine about top inventions – each article made me pause and say “of course,” none more so than the history of the wood screw. Without it, what would civilization be like? Less sturdy, for sure. And at the time, it was no doubt greeted with the equivalent of a big “meh.” History is made in the moment but defined over time, and through that lens, it’s clear that 30 years ago, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City on Aug. 12, 1981, was a seminal moment. Why? It was the unveiling of the IBM 5150 personal computer.
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