ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook are so dominant that it feels like they've been around forever. We wondered what it sounded like the first time these companies were mentioned on our air, so we dug around in NPR's archives to find out.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
And we should mention that each is an NPR underwriter. The oldest is Apple. It was founded in 1976. Apparently we have Apple to thank for a home video game that was designed to help spice up life in the bedroom.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
NOAH ADAMS: The game is called Interlude, programmed to be shared by two people - consenting adults, we would assume.
SHAPIRO: That was ALL THINGS CONSIDERED host Noah Adams in 1981.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
ADAMS: By the way, the Interlude program only works on home computers built by Apple and by RadioShack.
SHAPIRO: Aw, remember RadioShack?
CHANG: Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994. NPR listeners heard about it from reporter Chris Arnold.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
CHRIS ARNOLD: Jeff Bezos is connecting to his bookstore on the World Wide Web called amazon.com.
JEFF BEZOS: We're growing at a rate of about 30% a month.
CHANG: Back in 1999, NPR's Science Friday high-fived Google when a guest explained how best to search this newfangled thing called the Web.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: In particular, it can be useful to go to the hierarchical directories like Yahoo's or to search engines like Google or Direct Hit.
SHAPIRO: And, finally, the baby of the big tech giants - Facebook.
CHANG: It arrived on the scene in 2004.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
CHRIS HUGHES: In the all-freshman dining hall or one of those ice cream socials, it might be much easier to start up a conversation.
RENEE MONTAGNE: That is Chris Hughes. He is co-founder of the getting-to-know-you website thefacebook.com.
SHAPIRO: And that was Morning Edition host Renee Montagne. So even the four tech Goliaths were once mere Davids with a sling and a dream. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
