The Windows 95 start-up chime has been added to the Library of Congress
Published on: 2025-05-06 02:39:09
The National Recording Registry announced its 2025 inductees, and there are some geeky sounds that will be immortalized in the Library of Congress. The Microsoft Windows 95 reboot chime was selected to be a part of the registry, as was the Minecraft soundtrack.
"These are the sounds of America – our wide-ranging history and culture. The National Recording Registry is our evolving nation’s playlist," Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. "The Library of Congress is proud and honored to select these audio treasures worthy of preservation, including iconic music across a variety of genres, field recordings, sports history and even the sounds of our daily lives with technology."
The Windows 95 start-up audio was composed by ambient music pioneer Brian Eno. According to the blurb from the Library of Congress, the final sound clip was twice as long as Microsoft's engineers had requested of the composer. But they went ahead with the chime because they felt it "conveyed the sense of welco
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