HP’s name was decided by a coin toss

Over the years, HP has evolved to become one of the most successful companies in the world, you just can’t make mention of good or high-end computers or printers without adding the HP brand. Even this article was typed on a HP laptop, but have you ever wondered what HP stands for, or how the name came about?

William (Bill) Hewlett and David (Dave) Packard both graduated in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1935. The company originated in a garage in nearby Palo Alto during a fellowship they had with a past professor, Frederick Terman at Stanford during the Great Depression. Terman was considered a mentor to them in forming Hewlett-Packard.

In 1939, Packard and Hewlett established Hewlett-Packard (HP) in Packard’s garage with an initial capital investment of US$538. Hewlett and Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the company they founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett. Packard won the coin toss but named their electronics manufacturing enterprise the “Hewlett-Packard Company”.

Good choice Packard, because Packard-Hewlett (PH) kinda sound awkward, my opinion though. I mean let’s leave the “pH” to the chemists.