The Commodore brand dates back to the 1950’s, when Polish immigrant Jack Tramiel started a small typewriter manufacturing business in Toronto, Canada. As competition in this market increased and consumer needs changed, the company’s focus switched to adding machines in 1962 and shortly after to electronic calculators, which were considered revolutionary in the late 1960’s.

When the computer age dawned in the 1970’s, Commodore was once again at the cutting edge. Tramiel changed the company’s name from Commodore Business Machines to Commodore International, Ltd.,  moved operations to the high-tech hub in Pennsylvania, USA, and employed a brilliant computer engineer called Chuck Peddle.

Ignoring the conventional parameters of his time, Peddle put together what is now recognized as one of the first consumer-ready personal computers: the Commodore PET (Personal Electronic Transactor). Its release in 1977 established Commodore as a  major name in the home computer market. Further innovations followed quickly. In 1981 Commodore introduced the VIC-20, the first color computer at a price just about anyone could afford. This in turn paved the way for development of the  Commodore 64 personal computer – commonly called the C64 – in 1982.

The C64 is still recognized as the best-selling computer model ever, with worldwide sales between 1982 and 1994 of at least 17 million units. The unique features of this PC, which could be plugged into a television set for video gaming, revolutionized the concept of entertainment in the 1980’s. Versatile and affordable, with sound and graphics capabilities way ahead of its time, the C64 brought home computing and personalized entertainment within the reach of almost everyone. Before long enthusiasts started to develop and share C64 software and games. A community of Commodore fans – and a legend – was born.