Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the richest-people in the world, has had a profound impact on the technology industry and society as a whole. From his early days as a computer programming enthusiast to his current work as a philanthropist and advocate for global health, Gates has been a trailblazer in many fields. But there’s much more to Gates than just his business success. So, let’s dive into the world of Bill Gates with 25 fascinating facts that reveal the many facets of this iconic figure.
1-5 Fun Facts About Bill Gates
1. Despite popular belief, Bill Gates did not come from a rags-to-riches background. His family was well-off, with his father being a prominent lawyer and his great-grandfather founding a bank. In fact, Gates reportedly had a million-dollar trust fund set up for him as a child by his grandfather, who later ran the bank.
2. Like many other successful tech entrepreneurs, Gates dropped out of college to focus on his work with Microsoft.
3. As of 2023, Bill Gates’ net worth is estimated to be over $113 billion dollars.
4. Despite his immense wealth, Gates plans to leave his children only $10 million each in inheritance.
5. When the city of Munich switched from Windows to Linux, Bill Gates personally asked the mayor why. The mayor’s response? “Freedom from you, Mr. Gates.” Ouch!
6-10 Surprising Facts About Bill Gates
6. When Steve Jobs was dying, Bill Gates wrote him a heartfelt letter that Jobs kept by his bedside. These two tech giants had a complex relationship, but Gates’ gesture was a touching one.
7. On his wedding day, Bill Gates wanted to ensure privacy for himself and his bride. So he rented out every hotel room and chartered every helicopter on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. Talk about a private ceremony!
8. Bill Gates had a love for fast cars and used to collect Porsches, but he was also notorious for speeding and had to hire a traffic attorney due to numerous speeding tickets.
9. When Bill Gates was just 21 years old, he was arrested for speeding in his Porsche 911. He posted bail from his wallet full of cash and even grinned in his mug shot.
10. Believe it or not, the generic silhouette outline placeholder picture in Microsoft Outlook 2010 is actually a modified version of Bill Gates’ mug shot. Who knew?
11-15 Awesome Facts About Bill Gates
11. When Bill Gates was tasked with writing class scheduling software for his high school, he used his coding skills to tweak the program so that he was placed in classes with mostly female students. Smart move, Bill.
12. In 1998, Bill Gates was earning a mind-boggling $1 million per hour (almost $300 per second).
13. The IRS once had a dedicated computer to calculate Bill Gates’ taxes in 2006.
14. Steve Jobs once used patents to pressure Bill Gates into investing $150 million in Apple stocks. Jobs believed that if Microsoft didn’t have “a stake in our success,” Apple would go under. Looks like he made the right move.
15. When guests enter Bill Gates’ house, they are given pins that automatically adjust the temperature, music, and lighting based on their preferences. Talk about high-tech hospitality!
16-20 Interesting Facts About Bill Gates
16. The Gates family is known to be devout Catholics, and religion is a significant part of their family life.
17. Bill Gates holds a patent for a weather-controlling machine, although it is uncertain if he has ever built one.
18. Despite being one of the wealthiest people in the world, Bill Gates was only the 6th richest person in history at the peak of his fortune.
19. Gates made a cameo appearance in “The Big Bang Theory” where he played himself.
20. In 2009, Bill Gates purchased the rights to the Feynman Lectures so that he could annotate them and make them freely available. It’s always great to see someone using their wealth to make knowledge more accessible to everyone.
21-25 Cool Facts About Bill Gates
21. Bill Gates has done a lot of good in the world, too. His work on vaccines and healthcare has saved over five million lives, particularly those of children in developing countries.
22. Bill Gates has donated over $36 billion to charity in his lifetime. That’s more than some billionaires are even worth!
23. Bill Gates is a big fan of Leonardo da Vinci’s work, so much so that he purchased one of da Vinci’s notebooks, the Codex Leicester, for a whopping $30.8 million. He even made it openly available on Windows Vista, so that others could appreciate its beauty and significance.
24. Bill Gates received an honorary knighthood from the Queen, but as an American citizen, he cannot use the title “Sir.”
25. Bill Gates is dedicated to fighting mosquito-spread malaria in underdeveloped countries. In fact, he requested help in developing a device that can kill 100 mosquitoes per second up to 100 feet away, using infrared motion sensing and a blue laser. The production cost of this device is around $50.
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading 25 Interesting Bill Gates Facts.
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