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| Landmark #976 | Santa Clara County | Visited: August 27, 2016 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The original garage where Hewlett & Packard launched Silicon Valley! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: This garage is the birthplace of the world’s first high-technology region, “Silicon Valley.” The idea for such a region originated with Dr. Frederick Terman, a Stanford University professor who encouraged his students to start up their own electronics companies in the area instead of joining established firms in the East. The first two students to follow his advice were William R. Hewlett and David Packard, who in 1938 began developing their first product, an audio oscillator, in this garage.
OTHER TIDBITS: An audio oscillator is an instrument that generates one pure tone or frequency at a time. They’ve been used in the design, production, and maintenance of phones, stereos, radios, and all kinds of other audio equipment! The Hewlett-Packard oscillator was not the first to exist, but it was the first to incorporate a lightbulb to stabilize the tone and prevent distortion! They named it the Model 200A so it would seem like their company had been around a while and was more reputable. They flipped a coin to determine whose name would go first in their new company title! This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 367 Addison Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~357mi (575km) — 6hrs |
| When should I go? | You can visit the plaque any time you like, but this is a private residence. No tours allowed! |