Special Events :: U.S. Business Hall of Fame

 

Laureate Archive | Alpha Order: H
William R. Hewlett
Hewlett-Packard Company
William R. Hewlett
(1913 - 2001)
Inducted: 1988
Region: West
Industry: Computers
William Hewlett and David Packard met while they were students at Stanford. In 1939 they raised $530 in capital and set up shop in the one-car garage behind Packard's garage in Palo Alto. Their first product was an automatic foul-line indicator for bowling alleys. They could not find a market for it. Their second product, an audio oscillator, sold enough to launch their company. Technological innovation spurred the growth of Hewlett-Packard. Handheld calculators and the Laser Jet printer spread the company's fame.