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Whose Invention Was the Spreadsheet Program?
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Quick Answer
The first electronic spreadsheet program for personal computers, VisiCalc, was created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in 1979.
The Full Story
Dan Bricklin came up with the idea while studying at Harvard Business School, watching a professor erase and recalculate figures on a blackboard. He teamed up with programmer Bob Frankston to build VisiCalc, released for the Apple II in 1979. Changing one number automatically updated all related calculations, saving hours of work. VisiCalc is often called the first 'killer app' because people bought Apple II computers just to run it. Later programs such as Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel built on its success.
Key Facts
1.VisiCalc's name is short for 'visible calculator'.
2.Bricklin and Frankston did not patent the spreadsheet concept.
3.Microsoft Excel was first released for the Apple Macintosh in 1985.
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