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Events on January 19 in history

Brain (computer virus)
1986Jan, 19

The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written.

Brain is the industry standard name for a computer virus that was released in its first form in 19 January 1986, and is considered to be the first computer virus for the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) and compatibles.

Brain (computer virus)Brain (computer virus)
The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team of engineers and designers directed by Don Estridge in Boca Raton, Florida.

The machine was based on open architecture and third-party peripherals. Over time, expansion cards and software technology increased to support it.

The PC had a substantial influence on the personal computer market. The specifications of the IBM PC became one of the most popular computer design standards in the world. The only significant competition it faced from a non-compatible platform throughout the 1980s was from the Apple Macintosh product line. The majority of modern personal computers are distant descendants of the IBM PC.

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Events on 1986

  • 25Feb

    Ferdinand Marcos

    People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines' first woman president.
  • 1Apr

    Kathmandu

    Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attack a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion.
  • 26Apr

    Chernobyl disaster

    A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.
  • 27Apr

    Chernobyl disaster

    The city of Pripyat as well as the surrounding areas are evacuated due to Chernobyl disaster.
  • 2Jul

    Augusto Pinochet

    Rodrigo Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana are burnt alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile.