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On June 8th, 1978, a technological milestone was born, significantly shaping the future of computing because this was the day that marked the introduction of the Intel 8086, Intel’s inaugural 16-bit microprocessor.

In the world of computing and microprocessors, the term "bit" signifies the basic units of data a processor can process simultaneously. Transitioning from 8-bit to 16-bit didn't just signify a capacity increase; it represented an astronomical leap in intricacy and performance. This increase in bit-capacity enabled the processor to manage larger numbers, increased memory, and execute faster computations. 8 Bit processors were dominant for around a decade in the 70’s. By comparison, modern computers are typically running 32 or 64 bit processors. Incredibly, a 16 bit processor was first introduced by MIT as early as 1951 however this used vacuum tubes!