Acorn Computers

Founded in Cambridge, England, in 1978 by Chris Curry and Hermann Hauser, Acorn Computers quickly earned a reputation as the "British Apple." Their first major success was the Acorn Atom, but it was the BBC Micro, launched in 1981 as part of a national computer literacy project, that cemented Acorn's legacy. With its robust build, powerful BASIC interpreter, and expandability, the BBC Micro became the standard in British schools.

Acorn continued innovating with the Electron (a cost-reduced BBC Micro) and the powerful 32-bit Archimedes series, which introduced the world to the ARM processor — a technology that now powers billions of devices worldwide. Despite technical brilliance, Acorn struggled to compete against cheaper rivals and changing markets. By the late 1990s, the company had fragmented, but Acorn's influence — especially through ARM Holdings — continues to shape modern computing.