USB connectors are the universal standard not just for computer peripherals, but for charging most phones, tablets, and small devices. It's hard to remember a world without USB, which debuted almost exactly 25 years ago, on January 15, 1996.

The reminder comes courtesy of How-To Geek, which has published an in-depth feature on the history of the USB and its development. It's a reminder of how complicated, difficult to set up, and even expensive computer ports could be before the USB, or Universal Series Bus, became the standard for connecting a mouse, keyboard, game controller, or any number of computer peripherals that adopted the technology.

USB was a truly universal effort, emerging as a collaboration between multiple big tech names: Intel, Microsoft, IBM, Compaq, Digital Equipment Corporation, NEC, and Northern Telecom. Adoption of the tech wasn't immediate, and many attribute its eventual success to Apple's release of the iMac in 1998, which was the first PC to ditch legacy ports and only support USB.