5 Fun Facts About Spreadsheets
Some people think spreadsheets are boring, but we know better! Here are 5 fun facts about spreadsheets, that you can share with your family, friends, and co-workers. Or strangers on the subway!
1) Spreadsheet Collection
Do you have a few old spreadsheet packages hidden away in your office closet?
I’ve got manuals for Excel 3.0, and an old Microsoft Multiplan disk, and finally got rid of my Lotus 1-2-3 disks and manuals. Of course, I took a photo of them before letting them go!
But did you know that Ariel Fischman, from Mexico City, holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of physical spreadsheet software?
When Fischman was interviewed in 2019, there were 506 items in his collection, and it has probably grown, since then!
2) Spreadsheets Sold Computers
The first spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, was launched in 1979, and it was so revolutionary that people actually bought computers just to use this “killer app”!
VisiCalc was created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston, and it only ran on the 32 KB Apple II computer, at first. You can read Dan Bricklin’s notes on VisiCalc history on his website.
Despite its limited size, with only 254 rows and 63 columns, people loved VisiCalc, as soon as they saw it, and bought expensive Apple II computers, so they could get started using it
3) Spreadsheet Nightmares
If you’re sitting around a campfire this summer, telling scary stories, be sure to include a spreadsheet horror story or two!
There’s an excellent collection on the European Spreadsheet Risk Interest Group (EuSpRIP) website – maybe you’ve heard some of these already.
And remember, these stories are only “fun” if they’re not happening to you!
4) Secret Code Name
While Excel was being developed, it had a project code name, like most other Microsoft programs. Do you know what that code name was?
If you guessed “Odyssey, you’re right! Yes, in its earliest days, Excel sailed through the seas of software development under the cloak of Odyssey. I’m sure it was a long and epic journey, with exciting adventures along the way.
In this video, on the Microsoft site, Jeff Raikes talks about Excel’s history, and why its initial release was on the Apple Macintosh.
The Mac is where I started using Excel, and I still have a working copy on this old Apple PowerBook!
5) Spreadsheet Day
And last, but definitely not least – did you know that spreadsheets have their own day?
It’s true! October 17th is Spreadsheet Day – the best day of the year!
That’s when we celebrate the glorious grids that have saved us from countless calculations, and hours of pencil sharpening.
Be sure to mark your calendar with this important annual event, if you haven’t done that already!
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5 Fun Facts About Spreadsheets
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