Intel launched its first microprocessor, the 4004, with an ad in the Nov. 15, 1971 issue of Electronic News. Andy Grove often posted many of the early advertisements on the wall in his office as the company was growing and getting more attention for its products.

On a recent visit to Intel headquarters, Federico Faggin talked about his role designing the 4004 microcessor in 1971, which is considered the world’s first microprocessor, and he described its impact on society. Just as engines powered the industrial revolution, Faggin sees the microprocessor, the brain chip powering computers since 1971, as the core element driving the information age. “The engine extended the muscular power of human beings, thus enabling the industrial revolution,” said Faggin. “The microprocessor extends the intellectual capacities, the brain power of human beings, thus extending the human reach into areas that an engine cannot.”