The Windows 95 reboot sound (yes, that chime) is officially historic
The Windows sound — yes, that Windows sound — is now officially historic.
The United States Library of Congress this week added the Windows 95 reboot sound to its National Recording Registry (NRR). The sound you're thinking of is the soft chime jingle that's oddly calming.
The sound was actually created by Brian Eno, a legendary artist and producer. It was inducted alongside several other famous songs and sounds, including “My Heart Will Go On,” a recording of Hamilton, and Elton John's album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
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“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 in a statement. “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.”
So that Windows reboot chime you heard back in the day — maybe with your first computer — is a bit of American culture that will be forever preserved.
Topics Windows
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
