Hewlett-Packard, commonly referred to as HP, was an electronics technology company that shed its roots in 1999 by spinning off the first businesses of Test & Measurement, Medical, Analytical, Semiconductor as Agilent Technologies. It is now best known now as an information technology corporation, based in Palo Alto, California, which was split into two companies: Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc. The company was founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a small garage on January 1, 1939. As of 2012, HP is the largest technology company in the world in terms of revenue, ranking 10th in the Fortune Global 500.As of 2012, Hewlett-Packard has made a total of 129 acquisitions since 1986. Its first acquisition was the F.L. Moseley Company in 1958. This move enabled HP to enter the plotter