How Microsoft's Encarta Accidentally Destroyed Britannica
Microsoft's board cancelled Encarta, and its first edition sold under 10,000 copies.
Here is how a CD-ROM cut to $99 in 1993, built on a supermarket encyclopedia, toppled Britannica's door-to-door empire.
Sources
8- Interview3
- Article3
- Book2
The sources the story leans on most, primary sources first. Read dates are when the page was consulted; the live page may have changed since.
Image & music credits
38- License unknown33
- CC BY 3.02
- CC BY 2.01
- CC BY-SA 3.01
36 photos, 1 music track, from the hosts linked below. Each file name links to the file's page, which carries the full license terms.
| # | Use | File | Author | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Encyclopædia Britannica, 1993.jpg | upload.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 2 | Photo | BerlinWall-BrandenburgGate.jpg | Sue Ream, photographer (San Francisco, California) | CC BY 3.0 |
| 3 | Photo | https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Microsoft logo (1987) + slogan (1994).svg/3840px-Microsoft logo (1987) + slogan (1994).svg.png | thumb.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 4 | Photo | https://archive.org/download/ENCARTA 93/Encarta 1993.png | archive.org | License unknown |
| 5 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Encyclopaedia Britannica 15 with 2002.jpg | upload.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 6 | Photo | https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Microsoft logo (1982).svg/3840px-Microsoft logo (1982).svg.png | thumb.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 7 | Photo | https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Microsoft logo (1987).svg/3840px-Microsoft logo (1987).svg.png | thumb.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 8 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/PC-Mag-1992-12-22/page/n392 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 9 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/BYTE-1993-04/page/n66 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 10 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/PC-Mag-1992-12-22/page/n372 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 11 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/1993-10-compute-magazine/page/n49 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 12 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Bill Clinton, Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat at the White House 1993-09-13.jpg | upload.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 13 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/pc-computing-magazine-v7i12/page/n41 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 14 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/home-pc-magazine-1994-12/page/n18 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 15 | Photo | 19950904 04 Diversey Harbor (5374185650).jpg | David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA | CC BY 2.0 |
| 16 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Encyclopaedia Britannica 15 with 2002.jpg | upload.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 17 | Photo | Jimmy Wales Fundraiser Appeal.JPG | Manuel Archain, Buenos Aires, https://www.manuelarchain.com/ - work for hire, copyright owned by Jimmy Wales | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
| 18 | Photo | https://static.digit.in/default/artImg198x166 8987.jpg | static.digit.in | License unknown |
| 19 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/Comptons MultiMedia Encyclopedia 1991 Edition Manual/page/n0 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 20 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/U2 performing at Croke Park on Joshua Tree Tour on June 27 1987.jpg | upload.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 21 | Photo | https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/YvEAAeSw~bRqn0Yq/s-l1200.webp | i.ebayimg.com | License unknown |
| 22 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Encyclopædia Britannica, 1993.jpg | upload.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 23 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/King William III of England (1650-1702) by Kneller.jpg | upload.wikimedia.org | License unknown |
| 24 | Photo | https://www.picclickimg.com/iZEAAOSwE19mXYk3/Vintage-1986-Funk-Wagnalls-New-Encyclopedia-Book.webp | www.picclickimg.com | License unknown |
| 25 | Photo | https://archive.org/details/1993-10-compute-magazine/page/n49 | archive.org | License unknown |
| 26 | Photo | msn encarta home 20050405.png | MSN Encarta, encarta.msn.com, 5 April 2005, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine | License unknown |
| 27 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Joe Biden portrait crop wide.jpg | Official portrait of Vice President Joe Biden, 2009 (David Lienemann, The White House) | License unknown |
| 28 | Photo | msn encarta home 20090308.png | MSN Encarta, encarta.msn.com, 8 March 2009, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine | License unknown |
| 29 | Photo | msn encarta faq 20090401.png | MSN Encarta FAQ, encarta.msn.com, 1 April 2009, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine | License unknown |
| 30 | Photo | britannica com home 19991117.png | Britannica.com, 17 November 1999, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine | License unknown |
| 31 | Photo | wikipedia recentchanges 20010613.png | Wikipedia, wikipedia.com, 13 June 2001, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine | License unknown |
| 32 | Photo | nature 438900a 20051217.png | Nature ([email protected]), 14 December 2005, doi:10.1038/438900a, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine | License unknown |
| 33 | Photo | https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0SgAAeSw~LpqVqqA/s-l1200.webp | i.ebayimg.com | License unknown |
| 34 | Photo | https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/YvEAAeSw~bRqn0Yq/s-l1200.webp | i.ebayimg.com | License unknown |
| 35 | Photo | https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Jimmy Wales introducing Richard Stallman at Wikimania (2005-08-07).jpg | Jimmy Wales at Wikimania, 7 August 2005 (Wikimedia Commons) | License unknown |
| 36 | Photo | msn encarta masthead 20090308.png | MSN Encarta, encarta.msn.com, 8 March 2009, via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine | License unknown |
| 37 | Music | Pamgaea (ISRC USUAN1300036).mp3 | "Pamgaea" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | CC BY 3.0 |
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Video by cottonbro studio on Pexels
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