Bill Gates

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Bill Gates. William H. (Bill) Gates, the second child of William H. Gates Sr., a Seattle lawyer, and Mary Gates, a school teacher, was born on October 28, 1955. At age 13 while attending the exclusive preparatory Lakeside School, Gates had the opportunity to experiment with computer programming. He took great interest and wrote his first computer program, a version of the game tic-tac-toe that allowed users to play the game against the computer.

In 1973 Gates enrolled at Harvard University. He left Harvard in 1975 without completing his degree to establish a software company (Microsoft) with his childhood friend, Paul Allen. Gates had a strong belief that the computer would become a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home and that the timing was right. He became the best known entrepreneur of the personal computer revolution. Gates also founded Corbis in 1989, a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography.

Bill Gates married Melinda French on January 1, 1994. Together they have three children. In 2000 they created the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which supports philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning. Bill stepped down as the chief executive officer of Microsoft in January, 2000. In 2006 he began transitioning from his day to day role with the company. His last full time day at Microsoft was June 27, 2008. He plans to devote his time to the job of philanthropy. Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world.

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