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Michael Dell was born.
Born this day in Houston, Texas -
His First Calculator
At age 7, Michael Dell purchased his first calculator. -
High School Diploma
Michael Dell was sent away for equivalency testing to earn his high school diploma. -
First Computer
At age 15, after playing with computers at Radio Shack, he got his first computer, an Apple II, which he promptly disassembled to see how it worked. -
PC's Limited
This was the first computer company ran by Michael. He built cheap computers with a few friends out of a room. He sold them directly to other students at his college, bypassing the middle man. -
Dell Computer Corporation
The year in which PC's Limited changed to Dell Computer Corporation -
Fortune 500 Company
At the age of 27, Dell became the youngest CEO to have his company ranked in Fortune magazine's list of the top 500 corporations. -
Online Purchasing
Dell offered the option for customers to buy computers online. He was the first to do this. -
MSD Capital L. P.
Dell founded MSD Capital L.P. to exclusively manage his and his family's investments. Investment activities include publicly-traded securities, private equity activities, and real estate. -
Direct from Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry
Dell's 1999 book is an account of his early life, his company's founding, growth and missteps, as well as lessons learned. -
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
In 1999, Michael and Susan Dell established the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which focuses on children’s causes. -
Top Computer Company
In the first quarter of 2001, Dell Inc. reached a world market share of 12.8 percent, passing Compaq to become the world's largest PC maker -
Helping George Bush
In 2004, Susan and Michael Dell were among 53 contributors of $250,000 (the maximum legal donation) to the second inauguration of President George W. Bush. -
Steps Down as CEO
Michael Dell steps down as the CEO of dell but remains on the board. -
Returns as CEO
Michael Dell returns as CEO of his company, Dell Computers Corperation -
Criticism
In the April 2011 issue of Mother Jones, a timeline of Michael Dell's life is included in the article 'American Magnate: Michael Dell: How a homegrown geek outsourced, downsized, and tax-breaked his way to the top.' The article juxtaposes the CEO's spending on luxurious homes and private jet travel with his pursuit of tax breaks and tax holidays and Dell Computer's outsourcing of jobs overseas.
