Little-known facts about Bill Gates

William Henry "Bill" Gates III

Bill Gates is the richest man in the world, he is the founder of the world's largest software company Microsoft, these are the facts that very few people may not actually know. However, there's more to the man who is said to have led the third wave of computing than this.

Sold first computer programme at 17

At the age of 13, while studying at private Lakeside School, Gates discovered his interest in software and started writing his own computer programmes. According to some reports, Bill Gates sold his first computer program at the age of 17, a time-tabling system for his high school for $4,200.

Banned by Computer Center Corporation

Interestingly, Gates and three other high school students were banned from computer usage by Seattle-based CCC (Computer Center Corporation) after they were caught exploiting its operating system bugs to steal computer time.

SAT score

According to reports, Bill Gates scored 1590 on his SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). The top score for the test then was 1600. He then got enrolled at Harvard College in 1973. Prior to the mid-1990s, SAT score of 1590 corresponded roughly to an IQ of 170.

A college dropout

Few people know that Gates is actually a Harvard university dropout. Gates who scored 1590 on his SAT test out of 1600 got admission in Harvard university in the year 1973, after completing his high school.

At Harvard University, Gates and his high school friend Paul Allen worked on a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer -- MITS Altair. Two years later in 1975, he decided to opt out of college to start Microsoft, what eventually went on to become the world's largest software company.

A college dropout

However, in 2007 Bill Gates finally got a degree from Harvard, when the university conferred him with a honorary degree. At Harvard, Gates met Steve Ballmer who joined Microsoft in 1980. CEO Ballmer was Microsoft’s 24th employee.

A college dropout

Gates started Micro-soft, not Microsoft!

In 1975, Gates started Microsoft with friend Paul Allen from a rented accommodation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1977, Gates and Allen officially registered a partnership, and Micro-soft became Microsoft. The biggest breakthrough came in 1980 when Microsoft won a contract from IBM to provide operating system MS-DOS for IBM's new personal computers.

Becomes a billionaire at 31

Gates had reportedly once told his university teachers that he aims to become a millionaire by the age 30. And he missed the target by just one year. Gates became a billionaire by the age of 31.In 1992, Forbes declared Gates to be the richest man in America, worth $6.3 bn. In 1995, Gates became richest man in the world, a crown he continues to hold (he has lost the no.1 slot only once in 2008).

Faced arrest

The founder of world's biggest software company has also been caught on the wrong side of the law. In 1977, Gates was arrested in New Mexico for allegedly jumping a red light and also driving without a license.

Got married on New Year's Day

Bill Gates married long-time girl friend Melinda French in Hawaii on January 1st, 1994. They have three children. Gates is an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf and bridge.

In wealthiest list for 17 years in a row

Software king Bill Gates has figured in the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest people in the world for 17 years in a row, from 1993 to 2009. For a brief period in 1999, his net worth went past $100 billion, and new term "centibillionaire" was coined.

Received knighthood from the queen of England

In March 2005 Gates received an honorary knighthood from the queen of England. Gates was bestowed with the KBE Order (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his services in reducing poverty and improving health in the developing countries of the world.

BBC’s Geek

Gates has also been conferred with many

other awards and appreciations. He was a

part of Time magazine's list of '100 People

who influenced the 20th Century'. BBC

called him 'The geek who changed the

world'.

Wrong predictions !!

If you thought all that Bill Gates ever said

was profound, you need to read some of his

way off the mark predictions. In 2004, Gates

predicted that the problem of spam e-mail

messages will be gone within two years. And

its anyone's guess how true the prediction

has turned out to be.

Similarly, in 1981 Gates reportedly said that

nobody would ever need more than 640

kilobytes of memory on their personal

computer. Here too Gates went way off the

mark, with most PCs today offering at least

2GB of memory.

Wrong predictions !!

The tech czar had also said that Microsoft

"will never make a 32-bit operating system."

However, in 1992, Microsoft released beta of

its first 32 bit Windows NT. NT was the first

full 32-bit version of Windows.

Wrong predictions !!

Mansion man

Bill Gates lives in 66,000 square feet

situated on the edge of lake Washington. The

address is 1835 73rd Ave NE, Medina, WA

98039.

The house is famous for its design and the

technology it incorporates. Gates reportedly

purchased several pieces of land and houses

and built this house adjoining all those.

Much of the house is built underground into

the hill, so the house looks smaller than it

actually is.

Mansion man

Goodbye Microsoft !!

Gates bid Microsoft adieu on June 27, 2008 as full-time chairman to take up a full-time philanthropic role in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates, who made his fortune through developing software for the personal computer, plans to devote his time to charity work. Gates continue to serve as Microsoft’s chairman and an advisor on key development projects.

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