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+====== IBM: The Story People Believed ======
+**The trilogy is complete.**
+IBM didn’t just shape tech history — it shaped the myths we still repeat.
+From Xerox… to Microsoft… to the quote they never said.
+If you missed any part of the series, here’s the full arc:
+📼 Episode 1: The Company That Invented Xerox
+👉 {{ youtube>zqevYVG3ph0 |The Company That Invented Xerox}}
+----
+📼 Episode 2: The Company That Made Microsoft
+👉 {{ youtube>dyA0cpbuU6k |IBM: The Company That Made Microsoft}}
+----
+📼 Episode 3: The Fake “Five Computers” Quote That Fit the Story Too Well
+Did IBM Chairman Thomas Watson really say, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers”? An internet search turns up dozens of sites, Microsoft, PBS, even computing history museums confidently repeating the line and pinning it on Watson in 1943.
+In this video, we walk through the real history behind the quote, from wartime IBM under Thomas J. Watson Sr. to a 1953 stockholders’ meeting with Thomas J. Watson Jr. and the IBM 701. Using IBM’s own FAQ and historical documents, we trace how a realistic sales forecast for five machines morphed into one of tech’s most beloved urban legends.
+If there’s no speech, no article, no recording, and IBM itself debunks it… why do we still believe it?
+In this episode:
+The myth of the “five computers” quote
+How IBM’s 1953 stockholder remarks got twisted
+Why Wikipedia, forums, and even big-name sites keep the legend alive
+What this says about how the internet doesn’t just document history, it rewrites it
+Dig deeper. Trust less. In a world with billions of devices, maybe the real growth market isn’t computers, it’s debunking the stories we tell about them.
+👉 {{ youtube>Kbtr88NL9GQ |IBM: The Fake ‘Five Computers’ Quote That Fit the Story Too Well}}
+----
+Three chapters.
+One company.
+A whole lot of accidental legend‑building.
+Sometimes the myth is more powerful than the truth.

Sorry if some of the pages having missing graphics or a bookmarked page is missing. We are migrating our site over to DokuWiki from Drupal. The last major overhaul of our site was in 2016, and we were due for some freshening up.

The collection of material for the study of geek history dates back to my early days in technology as far back as the 1970s. You will find specific footnotes and references on many pages with links to current websites. Anytime a claim is made, or a fact is stated from a website or blog that does not appear to have firsthand knowledge of the subject I make a note to follow up on it. I can assure you that anything I have written is based on verification of facts from a source as close to the events and individuals as possible or multiple sources of information from leading publications or references.

Geek History

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