September 2024
Intermediate to advanced
826 pages
30h 35m
English
Chapter 2: Why the Spreadsheet Was Invented
Note: To follow along with the examples in this chapter, you can use the file named Ch02-Excel365-WhySpreadsheetInvented.xlsx.
Excel was not the first spreadsheet program. VisiCalc holds that distinction. It was invented in 1979 by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in 1979, pictured in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1 VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet tool, was invented by Dan Bricklin (left) and Bob Frankston.
Dan Bricklin was the one who had the original idea for the spreadsheet. His epiphany for creating the spreadsheet, or “visual calculator,” came out of his frustration with having to type many inputs into his ...
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