Bill Gates – A complete Biography
Who is Bill Gates?
Bill Gates is one of the most inspiring, motivating, and hard-working individuals of the 21st century who dedicated his whole to the welfare of people all over the planet. Bestowed with intelligence, this man worked from scratch to become the wealthiest man on the earth.
If it were not for his kindness and humility, Gates would not have been as famous and adored as he is now. One of the greatest innovators of the era, Bill Gates has deliberately worked to invent many breakthrough technologies.
Some of them include the likes of smooth-talking Ai Assistants, sanitation without sewers, an ECG on the wrist, a cow-free burger, a carbon dioxide catcher, custom cancer vaccines, robot dexterity, and a gut probe in a pill, to mention a few.
More importantly, he made his name by leading the World’s largest software company Microsoft along with friend Paul Allen. A tech-savvy and humble being, Bill Gates has created a business empire and is a software developer, investor, philanthropist, author, and whatnot.
There is no denying that it will need a whole book to elucidate Bill’s glory, accomplishment, and vision to make the world a better place. However, we will try to cumulate every detail about this one in a million men in this article. For starters, why don’t we take a look at some quick facts:
Quick Facts
| Full Name | William Henry Gates III |
| As Known As | Bill Gates |
| Nickname | Trey |
| Birthday | October 28, 1955 |
| Age | 68 years old |
| Sun sign | Scorpio |
| Traits | Positive: Determined, ambitious, and honest Negative: Jealous, manipulative, and vengeful |
| Birth Place | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Currently residing | Medina, Washington, USA |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Parents | William H. Gates II (father) Mary Maxwell Gates (mother) |
| Grandparents | William Henry Gates I (grandfather) Lillian Elizabeth Rice (grandmother) |
| Siblings | Kristi Gates MacPhee (sister) Libby Gates (sister) |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Ex-wife | Melinda French Gates |
| Children | Jennifer Katharine Gates Rory John Gates Phoebe Adele Gates |
| Height | 5 ft 9.5 in or 176.5 cm |
| Profession | Business Magnate, Investor, Author, Philanthropist, Humanitarian, Co-founder of the Microsoft Corporation |
| Net Worth | USD 131.6 billion |
Interesting Facts
- As a teenager, Bill Gates wrote his first computer program on a General Electric computer. During that time, he was studying in Lakeside, Prep School. He made a version of a tic tac toe game where you could play against the computer.
- When his school got to know that Gates could code very well, he asked him to write a computer program for scheduling students in class. In that time, he willingly altered the code so he could be in the class with a disproportionate number of girls.
- By the time he finished his teenage years, Bill had already read the entire World Book Encyclopaedia.
- During the SAT’s Bill Gates got 1590 out of 1600.
- Fortunately, Bill Gates got a chance to study at Harvard University in 1975. however, he dropped out of college in order to give his entire time to Microsoft.
- A couple of years after leaving Harvard, he was arrested in New Mexico for driving without a license and running a red light.
- When Bill was at Microsoft, he used to memorize employees’ license plates so that he could keep tabs on their coming and going. But then, the company employees increased, and it became hard for him to continue the work.
- If he had not been in Microsoft, Gates would have researched for artificial intelligence.
- Bill Gates owns a private plane which he likes to call big splurge. Before that, he used to fly coach.
- One of the saddest moments in his life was losing his friend Evan in junior year. He died in a mountain climbing accident. During that time, both of them working on automating the school’s class scheduling system. Upon doing this, their teacher had promised to let them have free computer time.
- Surprisingly this billionaire owns a Codex Leicester. It is a collection of handwritten works of famous painter Leonardo da Vinci. He bought the collection in 1994 in an auction for $30.8 million.
- Even though Bill Gates is a billionaire, he decided to give his son and daughter $10 million of his wealth. However, he revealed that leaving massive amounts of money is not a favor to his kids.
- He is still working with Microsoft to improvise the Personal Agent. He said it would be able to remember everything and help people to go back and find things. It will also help people to determine what things to pay attention to.
- Bill Gates revealed that he is also in the camp of people who are concerned about superintelligence. Other members of this camp are late Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk.
- His favorite band is Weezer, but he often calls U2 his number one band. Also, he is waiting for a Spinal Tap to go back to tour.
- According to reliable resources, Bill reads around 50 books a year. It is his way to learn new things and test his ability to understand.
- Until now, he does not know any foreign language. It is also his biggest regret in life.
Childhood and education
Just like morning shows the day, Bill was very bright as a kid. Although his parents wanted him to pursue his career in law because of his talent and dedication to tech, they thought otherwise.
At the tender age of 13, gates wrote his first software program while studying at Lakeside Prep School. Then, his parents used to put more emphasis on competition.
It did not matter what the game was; it always had rewards for winning and penalties for losing. Soon gates got more influenced by programming, and the teacher even excused him from math class to follow his passion.
He designed a tic tac toe game which allowed the player to have a game against the computer. Along with his three companions Paul Allen, Ric Weiland, Kent Evans, they exploited bugs in the Operating System to have free computer time.
Later they were banned from using DEC PDP minicomputer and Computer Center Cooperation. After they were banned, the four troublemakers asked the CCC’s software to find the bug and help them have free computer time.
Eventually, Bill went to the CCC’s office to learn about the various programs’ programming and source code. Within a matter of time, he mastered machine language, Lisp, Fortran, and many more.
He worked with that company until it ran out of business in 1970. He received his graduation from the school in 1973 and received a National Merit Scholar.
Surprisingly he scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SATs, which opened the door to learn new things at Harvard college. Gates chose a pre-law major and opted for computer science and mathematics at the graduate level.
During his time at Harvard, he befriended Steve Ballmer. A couple of years later, Bill Gates dropped out of college to pursue his career in Microsoft.
age and height
This gentleman was born in the year 1955, and in 2021, he is 68 years old. Bill Gates celebrated his birthday last year on October 28.
Therefore it is evident that Gates falls under the sun sign of Scorpio. According to the sign, Bill is confident, ambitious, and intelligent.
He does not give up n anything else and gives his all in trying to accomplish any matter. In any case, if Gates stumbles upon failure, then it does not slow him down. Instead, they rise with tremendous confidence to do better.
This Harvard dropout stands tall at a towering height of 5 feet 9.5 inches which converts to 176.5 cm. Along with that, he has salt and pepper hair and a pair of blue eyes with a hint of green.
Bill Gates family
This billionaire was born William Henry Gates III in Seattle, Washington. Bill Gates is the fourth of his name in his family but is known as William Gates iii or Trey because his father used suffix II.
As a matter of fact, he is the son of father William H. Gates Sr. and mother Mary Maxwell Gates.
William H. Gates Sr (Bill Gates father)
Bill Gates’s father, William Henry Gates II, was a civic leader, philanthropist and was active as an American attorney. Henry was the founder of the law firm Shidler McBroom & Gates and became the president of Seattle Kin county and Washington State Bar associations.
Bill Gates’s father served in the U.S. Army for three years during World War II. During his time, he served in several organizations such as the Greater Seattle chamber of commerce, Pacific Northwest, King County United Way, and Planned Parenthood.
Back in 1995, William established a Technology Alliance in order to expand technology-based employment in Washington. He was born on November 30, 1925, and unfortunately died on September 14, 2020.
He was suffering from Alzheimer’s and was about to be 95 years old at the time of his demise.
Mary Maxwell Gates (Bill Gates mother)
Bill Gates’s mother was a school teacher, executive, civic activist, and school teacher. She was the first woman to ever First Interstate Bank of Washington’s board directors.
Not to mention Mary served as the CEO of International Business Machines Cooperation, John Opel. In the year 1980, Maxwell became the first woman to lead the national United Way.
She was also responsible for discussing her son’s company Microsoft with John Opel. Later he approved the small software firm Microsoft to develop an operating system for the first personal computer.
Sadly, Mary Gates suffered from breast cancer for many months and passed away on June 10, 1994. During that time, she was 64 years old.
Later she was honored by naming a street on the northeast section of campus, Union Bay, with her name. Other than this, a hall at the University of Washington is named in her honor.
Mimi Gardner Gates (Bill gates Step-mother)
After the demise of Mary, Bill Gates’s father, William, walked down the aisle with beautiful Mary Mimi Gates Garder. Born in 1946, she was an American art historian who became the director of the Seattle Art Museum.
More importantly, she is the author of Porcelain Stories: from China to Europe and Biblical Art and the Asian Imagination. In 2021, she is 78 years old and is still in good shape.
Bill Gates Siblings
This tech-savvy had very educated and kind parents. Similar is the case with his siblings. In addition, he is blessed to have two sisters.
His big sister’s name is Kristi, while his younger sister’s name is Libby Gates.
Bill Gates wife (Melinda Gates)
The other half of famous Bill Gates is none other than Melinda French Gates. She is active as an American philanthropist and was a general manager at Microsoft.
Melinda was born on August 15, 1964, and is 57 years old in 2021. Along with that, she is also the author of the moment of Lift: how empowering women changes the World.
The book is based upon the lack of acknowledgment towards women’s unpaid work.
How did Melinda and Bill Gates meet?
Bill Gates met the love of his life, Melinda French, when he was working in Microsoft. During that time, Melinda was in the product development team while Bill was apparently the company’s CEO.
Although it was not love at first sight, they slowly grew attracted to each other. However, Melinda had other boyfriends while Bill Gates was busy raising an empire.
Soon in 1993, this man proposed to this beauty, and they got engaged. Likewise, in 1994 both of them walked down the aisle on the island of Lanai in Hawaii.
It was a New Year’s day, and both were ready to have a new start.
The nuptials were so private that only a few reporters and photographers were allowed in the event.
They booked all the empty rooms at the hotel where their guests were going to live. In addition, all the helicopters on the island were hired to reduce the number of paparazzi.
Bill and Melinda Gates foundation
This foundation is the largest private foundation, which merged William H. gates Foundation and Gates Learning Foundation. It was established in 2000, and 2021 ranks in second place for being the largest charitable foundation in the World.
Surprisingly the foundation holds more than $49.8 billion in assets. Other members of the foundation are Warren Buffet, Michel Larson, Mark Suzman, to mention some. Bill Gates and Melinda Gates alone had donated $36 billion of their balance to the foundation.
The major goal of this institution is to elevate the healthcare system and decrease poverty all over the nation. Added to that, they believe in expanding educational opportunities and give access to people for Information technology.
Its headquarter is currently in Seattle, Washington, U.S., and employs around 1,602 staff. In 2007, Bill Gates and Melinda were announced to be some of the generous philanthropists in the U.S. after Warren Buffett.
His divorce with Melinda Gates
Despite the fact that Bill Gates and Melinda Gates spent 27 years together, things started falling apart between them. As both Bill Gates and Melinda are private about themselves, they rarely share about what is going on in their life in the media.
However, when the duo finalized their divorce, they made sure to reveal it to their massive number of followers. Melinda confessed this news via social media. She said,
“After a great deal of thought as well as work on our relationship, we both have decided to end our marriage. Over the period of 27 years, we have raised three children and built a foundation that works all over the world to lead people to have a healthy, productive life. We share a belief in that mission and will continue to work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in this phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family members as we begin to navigate this new life.”
In addition to this, Melinda did not ask for any spousal support. However, Bill transferred over USD 2 billion worth of stocks and shares into her account. Finally, the divorce was made official on August 2, 2021.
Bill Gates children
During the 27 years of marriage, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates were blessed to raise three children. They waited for their little daughter to be 18 before they parted ways.
Although botU.S.are tech geeks, this couple never allowed their kids to have phones until they were 14 years old. They always used to complain about it, but they were firm on their decisions.
Not to mention, the Gates family did not use to have any cellphone at the table when they were having a meal.
Jennifer Katharine Gates
Jennifer Katharine is the eldest daughter of couple Bill Gates and Melinda. She was born in the year of 1996 and is 25 years old in 2021. Just like her father, she also attended Lakeside High School.
Since her childhood, her parents used to talk about children’s health during their dinner time. It intrigued Jennifer, and she decided to study medicine.
In the beginning, Gates thought that she was smart enough to join a medical school, but the mentor at Stanford opened her eyes and assisted her in pursuing a career in it. So, for the time being, she is a second-year student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai.
Apart from this, Jennifer is an equestrian and has been horse riding since the age of 6. Prior to this, Jennifer had competed against Michael Bloomberg’s daughter Georgina and Steve Job’s daughter Eve.
This 25-year-old lady is already engaged to handsome Nayel Nassar, an entrepreneur and a professional showjumper. Currently, they are residing on the East Coast ad owns one Jack Russell Terrier, Earl.
In addition to this, Jennifer Gates loves having sugar treats and foods except for Nutella. She adores the color pink and spends most of the time reading.
In her spare time, she obsesses over her calendar and likes to keep a journal.
Rory John Gates
Unlike sister Jennifer, Rory is a very private person. Therefore very little information about him is known in the media.
Currently, he is preparing for a law degree at the University of Chicago. Melinda likes to describe his son as a feminist.
He is compassionate, curious, intelligent, and is often well informed about certain aspects that intrigue him. For her, he is a great son and a brother. Just like his parents, Rory adores puzzles.
Related: Read the full biography of Bill Gates’ son, Rory John Gates.
Phoebe Adele Gates
The youngest member of the Gates family is Phoebe, who is following in Jennifer’s footsteps. Currently, she is 18 years old and studying at Stanford University.
Unlike others, she is keen on ballet dancing. Phoebe honed her skill in dancing at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Julliard School.
Just like father Bill Gates, she is also a bookworm and a huge fan of author John Green.
Related: Read the full biography of Bill Gates’ daughter, Phoebe Adele Gates.
Bill Gates net worth
This business magnet dedicated his whole life to technology and was determined to invent to make people’s life easier. In 2021, Bill Gates’s net worth reads to be $131.6 billion.
In 1986, Microsoft was open for business and the stock price during that time was USD 21. Later the stock closed at USD 27.75, and Gates received 45% of it, which equals USD 350 million.
Suddenly the stock elevated, and Bill became a billionaire at the age of 31. Eventually, Bill became the World’s youngest U.S. billionaire with a net worth of USD 1.25 million.
He maintained his position for being the wealthiest person in the World for 20 years. However, in July 2017, Jeff Bezos became the World’s richest person with a net worth of USD 200.6 billion.
In 1999, Gates’s net worth was USD 100 billion, equal to having USD 153 billion today. Believing in philanthropy, Bill donates a massive amount of his earning to the charity.
In 2004, he donated USD 3.3 billion to his Bill & Melinda Foundation. Not to mention he still holds a 1.3% stake in Microsoft.
At the time of writing, he ranks fourth in the list of the World’s richest people.
Bill Gates Real Estate
Having plenty amount of money, Bill Gates invests in real estate. Being the wealthiest man, it is evident that he spends some amount of it to live in an extravagant mansion.
For the time being, he owns big properties in various parts of the country.
His property in Washington
Bill Gates purchased a property worth USD 2 million in 1988. It took him seven years as well as USD 63 million to complete its final look.
He named this mansion Xanadu 2.0 after the fictional house of Charles Foster Kane. The property stretched up to 66,000 square feet and is loaded with high technology.
It consists of seven bedrooms and 18.75 bathrooms. The market value of this place in 2021 is no less than USD 127.48 million.
The house was made with a 500 years old Douglas fir tree and required 300 workers to finish the house. Similarly, about 100 of them were the only electricians.
Each of the rooms has a sensor system to regulate the room climate and lighting. Likewise, there are computer screens worth USD 80,000 around the house where his favorite paintings and photographs are stored.
The image can be changed with a touch of the hand, and that device is worth USD 150,000. In addition to this, there is a 60-foot pool that has an underwater music system.
To make exercise more fun, there is a massive trampoline with a 20-foot ceiling. Along with this, the house has its own sauna and steam room.
A 2300 square foot hall is designed to accommodate 200 people at once. To make staff ready for any lavish event, this house has six kitchens.
In addition, an exquisite Art Deco Style theatre is designed to fit 20 people with convenient chairs. Added to that, there is also a garage which can accumulate about 23 cars at once.
Bill Gates property in Cody, Wyoming
In 2009 Bil bought another house in Cody for an unknown price. The land was once owned by William Buffalo Bill Cody and stretched up to 492 acres.
Unfortunately, the property only had three owners over 150 years of period time.
Bill Gates property in Wellington, Florida
In the year 2013, Bill Gates purchased a house in Wellington for about USD 8.7 million. Previously the Gates family used to visit the rented mansion for Jennifer Gate’s competitions.
However, they liked the horse ranch so much that they bought it eventually.
His property in Del Mar, California
Bill, along with his ex-wife, spent USD 43 million for buying an ocean-front mansion in Del Mar in April 2020. They bought it from the late oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens.
Bill Gates property in Rancho Santa Fe, California
A 228-acre ranch property was purchased in October 2014 for about USD 18 million. As his daughter is an avid rider, the ranch has a racetrack, five barns, and an orchard.
Bill Gates Cars Collection
This multi-millionaire is an avid car collector and has invested his income in collecting some smooth and cool rides.
Porsche 911
In 1979, Bill Gates used to use Porche 911 when he used to work in Microsoft located in Albuquerque. Gates used to dream of riding it on the desert at a very high speed.
To fulfill his wish, he also got three tickets for speeding and went to jail in 1997. However, in 2012, this care was in an auction in Austria for USD 80,000.
Ford Focus
One f the fastest sportscars, ford Focus, was Bill’s way of transportation when he used to commute to Microsoft in 2018.
Porsche Taycan
Bill Gates owns an all-electric Porche Taycan which price is as double as Tesla Model S. In 2015, he boasts his ride in the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Ferrari 348
As it is said Old is gold, Gates loves this baby to ride it into the sands. So he named it a Dune buddy. Ferrari 348 is a limited edition car which was produced from 1989 to 1995 about 8000 units.
Porsche 959 Sports
This car is also one f the rare model. Only 337 units of it was produced and are owned by the wealthiest individual in the World. So it is no surprise that Porsche 959 Sports is the highlight of Bill Gates car collection.
Social Media
Although Bill is a very busy man, he likes to stay updated about what is going on around him. For that, social media platforms have become a great way to do so.
Besides. he is active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In his official account. Gates often shares about his daily life and future endeavors.
Bill Gates Instagram
Bill Gates has been active on Instagram since day one. Until now, he has garnered 6.9 million followers in his Instagram account @thisisbillgates.
On Bill Gates Instagram, he is often spotted spreading love and awareness to people all over the globe.
Bill Gates Twitter
Until now, Bill Gates has uploaded more than 3,633 tweets in his official account of Twitter @BillGates. He has around 55.5 million followers.
Website
Bill and Melinda co-founded Bill & Melinda Foundation to help people all over the World. On their website, @Bill & Melinda Foundation, they share how they have managed to accomplish so much for the betterment of people.
Bill Gates Facebook
This inspiring individual spends most of his time on Facebook. In 2021, he has gathered around 42 million followers in his official account @BillGates.
