Steve Wozniak
Before Apple existed, Wozniak began his computer career by creating something called blue boxes, a device that could bypass traditional telephone switch mechanisms in order to make free long-distance calls. Wozniak and Jobs built these boxes together and ended up selling them to their college classmates. From there, they progressed to bigger and better ideas.
Linus Torvalds
Torvalds started his hacking by fiddling around with his personal machines when he was a child. In 1991, he created the first version of the Linux kernel using the Minix operating system as his source of inspiration. Eventually, he asked for contributors to help him out. Fast forward many years later and now Linux is popular worldwide.
Though he wasn’t the first proponent of open-source software, the spread of Linux surely helped the growth of the open-source community. Without him, there would be no operating system that works as a strong replacement for the two main contenders. Torvalds has certainly made an impact in the world of computers.
Tim Berners-Lee
He got his start with electronics at a relatively young age. When he was a student at Oxford University, Berners-Lee managed to build a computer from scratch using a soldering iron, TTL gates, an M6800 processor, and parts from an old television.
Later, he worked with CERN and developed an inhouse system that allowed researchers to share and update information quickly. This would be the seedling idea that eventually grew into the hypertext protocol for the World Wide Web.
Julian Assange
“whistleblowers,” or people who disclose information regarding allegedly illegal or dishonest activities within a government department. WikiLeaks was first launched in 2006.
At the age of 16, Assange began to hack using the handle “Mendax,” a name derived from the Latin splendide mendax meaning “a splendid liar.” He operated under a self-imposed code that included: 1) not harming systems that he broke into, 2) not altering information in systems that he broke into, and 3) sharing information whenever possible.
This behavioral code was the beginning of what would later become his driving philosophy for WikiLeaks. For Assange, access to government documents and open transparency was an integral aspect of a properly functioning government because it provided public oversight.
Tsutomu Shimomura
In a battle of wits, Shimomura managed to outclass Mitnick by hacking a cell phone and using it to monitor phone calls. Using Mitnick’s own phone against him, Shimomura tracked him down to an apartment complex and Mitnick was quickly arrested. The events of this incident were later adapted to the big screen in a movie called Takedown.









