Maine Native Responsible For The Personal Computer Has Passed
According to the Portland Press Herald, Chuck Peddle is credited as being the "father of the personal computer" because he invented the low-cost microprocessors that the early home computers, like the Commodore 64, used.
Peddle grew up in Augusta, was a Cony High School graduate, and went on to get a degree from the University of Maine. He was a USMC veteran and spent over a decade working for General Electric and Motorola.
In the early 1970s, he went to work for a company called MOS Technologies, where he led the team that created the 6502 microprocessor. This affordable chip allowed for the first computers small enough, and cheap enough, to be brought into the home.
His processor sold for about $25, instead of $250 like the chips of some other companies. It was used in the Apple II and Commodore 64, as well as games put out by Atari and Nintendo.
Last week, Chuck Peddle passed away at his home in California. He was 82.