Note: The history of Albuquerque NM prior to 1950 is exactly the same as our world (timeline and history).

1950s

Kirtland Air Force Base:

• On April 11, 1950, a USAF B-29 bomber carrying a nuclear weapon crashed into a mountain near Manzano Base.
• On May 22, 1957, a B-36 accidentally dropped a Mark 17 nuclear bomb 4.5 miles from the control tower while landing at Kirtland Air Force Base. Only the conventional trigger detonated, the bomb being unarmed. These incidents were classified for decades.
  • In 1993, it was revealed that both of these incidents were not accidents.  Both of the incidents were caused by using advanced technology (even in the 1990s) to disable the aircraft.  Both nuclear bombs went missing.  They are still missing.

1970s

Microsoft:

Bill Gates and Paul Allen established Microsoft on April 4, 1975, with Gates as CEO, and Allen suggested the name "Micro-Soft", short for micro-computer software.  The company started in Albuquerque NM.  A few wealthy retired military officers invested in the fledgling company and made sure that Microsoft would keep its headquarters in Albuq.  This sparked an explosion of technology companies in Albuquerque.

Other:

Advanced Research Group was formed in 1976.  They worked with Sandia Laboratory and Los Alamos Laboratory on a number of classified projects over the years.

Stronghold:

When Stronghold was proposed west of Albuquerque, there were protests and attempts to stop its construction.  The facility did bring in some long-term jobs and electrical power to most homes on the various reservations in New Mexico.