Mac OS Evangelist Tim Holmes was treating the night of December 20th, 1996 like any other as he worked at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino. That all changed when his manager came running by his office door, esoterically asking Holmes to come to the Town Hall theater room where Apple made announcements and held company meetings.
Holmes grabbed his Apple QuickTake camera and captured a tremendous moment in Apple history -- the return of Steve Jobs to the company after an 11 year absence. This week, for the first time ever, Holmes uploaded the pictures to his Flickr account for the world to see.
Jobs' return came after Apple acquired computer company NeXT, a company Jobs started shortly after being fired by Apple. Jobs was ousted from Apple in 1985 when the the board sided with then CEO John Sculley over Jobs during a power struggle.
Though the photos offer a unique glimpse into a major turning point in Apple's history, even Holmes admits they aren't the best quality. The Apple QuickTake camera -- which Jobs and Apple would discontinue only a year later in 1997 -- manages to turn Jobs' black jacket into a Barney shade of purple. Jobs, who was 41 at the time, is seen smiling with a full head of hair.
Check out the photos from the night Steve Jobs returned to Apple below:
The Night Steve Jobs Returned to Apple
(h/t Business Insider)