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VisiCalc

The first spreadsheet program for personal computers, released for the Apple II on October 17, 1979.

VisiCalc was the first spreadsheet program for personal computers. VisiCorp released it for the Apple II on October 17, 1979. Dan Bricklin conceived it while watching a presentation at Harvard Business School.

It was written for the Apple II using a 6502 assembler running on the Multics time-sharing system. More than 700,000 copies sold in six years, and up to one million over its history. Sales fell fast after Lotus 1-2-3 launched in 1983.

Why it matters

VisiCalc is considered the killer application for the Apple II. It turned the microcomputer from a hobby into a business tool and prompted IBM to introduce the IBM PC two years later.

Key facts

  • Released October 17, 1979.
  • First spreadsheet for personal computers.
  • Conceived by Dan Bricklin at Harvard Business School.
  • More than 700,000 copies sold in six years.
  • Sales fell after Lotus 1-2-3 launched in 1983.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "VisiCalc", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc, accessed October 14, 2026.
  2. Wikipedia, "Dan Bricklin", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Bricklin, background reading, accessed October 14, 2026.