These fifteen fascinating details about Bill Gates.

One of the most famous and successful computer geniuses in the world, Bill Gates is credited with creating Microsoft.

However, how did things start for the college dropout? And how did he get to be one of the richest men in the world?

These fifteen fascinating details about Bill Gates.

1. When he was a teenager, Bill Gates wrote his first program.

In the age of 13, Gates enrolled at Seattle's Lakeside Prep School, where he also wrote his first piece of software.

He created a computerized version of tic-tac-toe when he was in the eighth grade.

It was developed by Gates using a Teletype Model 33 ASR terminal and General Electric (GE) computer time, using funding obtained from his school through a yard sale.

Gates was exempted from math lessons so that he could focus on programming after developing an interest in it.

In exchange for extra computer time, one of the Lakeside teachers even requested him to rewrite the school's class scheduling software.

1. Bill Gates didn't finish college.

It might surprise some that Gates dropped out of college for someone so successful. Although successful IT entrepreneurs tend to follow this pattern.

After two years of study, Gates left Harvard in 1975 to focus on creating Microsoft.

Despite this, he has received numerous doctorates from academic institutions worldwide, including Harvard.

In 2002 and 2003, he got honorary doctorates from the University of Stockholm and Nyenrode Business University, respectively.

Other universities include Harvard in 2007, the University of Beijing in 2007, and the University of Shinjuku in 2005.

1. Microsoft was co-founded by Bill Gates.

When Gates and his business partner Paul Allen decided to launch Microsoft, they took a year off from their studies at Harvard.

Allen came up with the name Micro-soft as a mashup of software and a microcomputer.

The two collaborated to make Microsoft what it is today.

Gates retired from the Microsoft board of directors in March 2020 after more than 40 years of service.

Most of his Microsoft stock was given away or sold, and he used the proceeds to fund his charitable foundation and other ventures.

Gates has given the Gates Foundation over $35.8 billion of his personal Microsoft interests.

As of 2021, he now owns little more than 1% of Microsoft.

1. He is the owner of a number of Da Vinci's writings.

Gates paid $30.8 million for "Codex Leicester" on November 11th, 1994.

Gates acquired the scientific texts that make up the Codex Leicester at the New York Christie's auction house.

After his own plane, according to Gates, it was the second-most expensive item he had bought.

1. He received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 2005.

Gates received the honorary KBE, or Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, designation in 2005.

Those who have made significant contributions to society through the arts and sciences are awarded a KBE.

He received a KBE in recognition of his services to business, technology, and research.

Gates received the KBE from Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his efforts to fight global poverty.

Gates founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with his wife, which has given money to research and help for the poor all around the world.

1. Gates is a father of three.

In 1994, Bill and Melinda got married on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, and soon after, they had their first child.

They have one son and two daughters between them.

Jennifer Katherine Gates, the first child of Gates, was born on April 26, 1996. On May 23, 1999, he gave birth to his son Rory John Gates.

Phoebe Adele Gates, Gates' third child, was born on September 14, 2002.

1. As a Catholic, Bill Gates.

Being Catholic, religion plays a significant role in the Gates family's daily lives.

The children of Bill and Melinda Gates attend the same Catholic church.

Someone who is so committed to science who also practices all forms of religion must sometimes choose between the two, as there are certain conflicts.

But Gates captured it perfectly in a Rolling Stone interview.

"I concur with critics like Richard Dawkins that humanity needed to believe in creation myths. We looked for erroneous explanations for illness, the weather, and other phenomena before we actually started to grasp them. Now, science has partially—but not entirely—filled the space that religion formerly occupied. However, there is no scientific theory to account for the world's enormously astounding mystery and beauty.

Gates has an intriguing viewpoint in which he acknowledges scientific facts but turns to religion to explain the aspects of reality that science is unable to explain.

1. His residence is known as Xanadu 2.0.

Gates' home is located in Medina, Washington, and has a lake view.

The mansion is 66,000 square feet (6,100 square meters) in size and was constructed in a pacific lodge design.

The house has received praise for its layout and usage of technology.

It contains a private library, an on-site gym, and a swimming pool with an underwater sound system.

The house was worth $147.5 million in 2009.

He participated in his first charity competition in 2017.

1. Gates participated in his first charity competition on April 29, 2017.

He participated in "Match for Africa 4" as a teammate of tennis great Roger Federer.

Tennis players played non-competitively to raise money for Federer's foundation.

$2 million was raised for children in Africa after the event sold out.

Federer and Gates teamed up once more on March 5, 2018, to form a team for the "Match for Africa 5."

They won their second game, and this time they were able to donate more than $2.5 million to Federer's organization.

1.                   In the television show "The Big Bang Theory," he played himself.
   

In The Big Bang Theory's Season 11, Episode 18, Gates appeared as a guest cast member and took on the role of himself.

The episode, which aired on March 29, 2018, was titled "The Gates Excitation."

All of the primary individuals in the episode desire to see Gates, but only one of them is able to, so the rest plan their own covert rendezvous.

1.                   Gates is a three-book author.
   

The Road Ahead, his debut book, was co-written by Gates, Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold, and journalist Peter Rinearson. It was released in November 1995.

The book covered the evolution of personal computing and changes in the computing industry.

"Business At the Speed of Thought," Gates' second book, was released in 1999.

In the book, Gates talks on the connections between business and technology and how doing so might improve your work.

The third book by Gates, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, was released on February 16, 2021.

The book outlines what Gates has discovered about climate change over the previous ten years and explores solutions.

1.                   Gates only speaks English.
   

Gates admitted in an interview that failing to pick up a second language was one of his greatest regrets.

He is a master of numerous computer and programming languages, but he has never studied a human language.

Despite having made a significant impact on the world, he has never been able to interact with non-English speakers.

1.                   He has made investments in numerous startup businesses.
   

Gates is a powerful investor since he is one of the richest persons in the world.

He has made investments in early-stage, entrepreneurial businesses in numerous industries.

In addition to investing in startups, he has shares in other multinational corporations.

As of 2019, Gates was Canadian Network Railway's largest individual stakeholder.

As of 2012, Gates owned a 25% investment in Ecolab and a 16% stake in AutoNation.

1. There have been six documentaries about Gates as of 2019.

Six documentaries about Gates, his professional accomplishments, and his personal life have been produced since 1990.

A five-part television documentary on the history of computers was first titled "The Machine That Changed the World" in 1990.

On April 14, 1996, PBS in the US and Channel 4 in the UK broadcast the second "Triumph of the Nerds."

The film examined the evolution of personal computers from World War II until the middle of the 1990s.

The sequel series "Nerds 2.0.1" once again included Gates and focused on the growth of the internet and the World Wide Web.

Gates was featured in two documentaries that were both released in 2010. "Waiting for Superman" and "The Virtual Revolution" were these.

The three-part documentary series "Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates" explores Gates' life in 2019, including everything from founding the Bill and Melinda Foundation to creating Microsoft.

1. In 2020, Gates's net worth was $116 billion.

When Forbes magazine named Gates the world's youngest self-made billionaire in 1987, it all began.

He held the title of wealthiest American in 2015. In 2016, he was recognized as the wealthiest individual in the 50 major cities in America.

In 2017, Gates was ranked as the wealthiest individual in every US state.

He came up at number two on Forbes' list of billionaires for 2020.

One of the most significant computer technology developers in the world is Bill Gates.

He is regarded as one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century, and Microsoft will carry on in his honor.

Even though he left Microsoft, he keeps working by investing in companies and concentrating on his charity foundation.