The following interesting and not so familiar details from the life of Bill Gates were published on Entrerpreneur.com.
From computers to charity
1. He developed his first computer program (game) as a 13 year-old at Lakeside SchooI, a private school in Seattle. There he met Paul Allen with whom he later founded the Traf-O-Data company and then Microsoft. Together they modified the school's scheduling software so that they shared classes only with girls.
2. He was twice arrested for speeding and driving without a licence (at the age of 19 and 21). The user icon in Microsoft Outlook 2010 is said to be the silhouette of his police photo.
3. His wife Melinda started to work for Microsoft after her graduation. Bill met her at a sales team meeting. They married in Hawaii in 1994, where Bill booked all 250 rooms of a hotel and hired all local helicopters so as to keep journalists at a sufficient distance.
4. Originally he could remember the car registration plates of all his employees. All he had to do to see when employees were arriving and leaving was look out of the window. As the company grew, however, he had to rely on other measuring tools.
5. In 2000, the Gates founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has become the largest private foundation in the world. They have been supported by the world's richest people from the ranks of investors, public figures and celebrities.
6. In 2005, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire and became a knight with the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). Giving him this award, Queen Elizabeth II acknowledged his charity work and achievements in the field of technology.
7. Every night before bedtime he washesthe dishes and then reads for an hour. He likes to share his favourite books with the public. He regularly publishes lists of recommended books from various fields.
8. If he does not want people to recognise him, he uses the old proven method of wearing a hat - which is surprisingly effective. But maybe people are only kind and understand he does not want to be the centre of attention at the given moment.
9. All three children of Bill and Melinda Gates will receive "only" $10 million each from their parents. Most of the couple's assets will be given to charity organisations.
10. Bill Gates has his personal blog called Gates Notes. He also shares his posts on Facebook (19 million followers), Twitter (34 million) LinkedIn (7 million) and YouTube (167 thousand).
In the following video, the Gates present the latest numbers of their foundation and thank Warren Buffett for his donation of $31 billion.
-kk-