Childhood and Education Journey of Bill Gates in Timeline

Discover the defining moments in the early life of Bill Gates. From birth to education, explore key events.

Bill Gates is an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975. He is recognized as a key figure in the microcomputer revolution and became a billionaire in 1987 after Microsoft's IPO. Gates was consistently ranked as the world's wealthiest person by Forbes for many years, reaching the position of the first centibillionaire in 1999. As of May 2025, his net worth is estimated at $115.1 billion, ranking him among the richest individuals globally.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1925: Birth of William H. Gates Sr.

In 1925, William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates' father, was born. He later became a prominent lawyer.

1929: Birth of Mary Maxwell Gates

In 1929, Mary Maxwell Gates, Bill Gates' mother, was born. She served on the board of directors of First Interstate BancSystem and United Way of America.

October 28, 1955: William Gates' Birth

On October 28, 1955, William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington. He later co-founded Microsoft and became one of the world's wealthiest individuals.

1970: CCC Closure

In 1970, Computer Center Corporation (CCC) went out of business, ending the arrangement where Gates and others found bugs in CCC's software in exchange for extra computer time.

1972: Congressional Page

In 1972, at the age of 17, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the House of Representatives.

1973: Enrollment at Harvard College

In 1973, Bill Gates enrolled at Harvard College, taking courses including Math 55 and graduate-level computer science. He dropped out in 1975 to co-found Microsoft.

1973: Graduation and Enrollment

In 1973, Bill Gates graduated from Lakeside School as a national merit scholar and enrolled at Harvard College.

November 1975: Gates Joins MITS

In November 1975, Bill Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to work with Paul Allen at MITS, where they developed Altair BASIC.

1975: Co-founding of Microsoft

In 1975, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to co-found Microsoft and assumed a leadership role in the company.

1977: Ballmer Graduation

In 1977 Steve Ballmer, then President of Microsoft, graduated from Harvard. The Maxwell Dworkin Laboratory of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is named after the mothers of both Gates and Ballmer.

1981: Reputation for being distant

In 1981, Bill Gates gained a reputation for being distant from others; an industry executive complained that "Gates is notorious for not being reachable by phone and for not returning phone calls."

1983: Allen Leaves Microsoft

In early 1983, Paul Allen left Microsoft after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, effectively ending the formal business partnership with Bill Gates.

1987: Gates Becomes a Billionaire

In 1987, following Microsoft's successful IPO, Bill Gates became a billionaire at the age of 31, then the youngest ever to achieve this milestone.

1993: Engagement to Melinda French

In 1993, Bill Gates and Melinda French became engaged after dating for six years.

January 1, 1994: Marriage to Melinda French

On January 1, 1994, Bill Gates and Melinda French married at the Manele Golf Course on the Hawaiian Island of Lānaʻi.

1994: Creation of the William H. Gates Foundation

In 1994, Bill Gates donated some of his Microsoft stock to create the "William H. Gates Foundation", after studying the work of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller.

1994: Purchase of the Codex Leicester

In 1994, Bill Gates purchased the Codex Leicester, a collection of scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci, for US$30.8 million at an auction.

1994: Death of Mary Maxwell Gates

In 1994, Mary Maxwell Gates, Bill Gates' mother, passed away.

January 1996: Gates Computer Science Building Completion

In January 1996, the Gates Computer Science Building was completed on the campus of Stanford University. The building houses the Computer Science Department and the Computer Systems Laboratory (CSL) of Stanford's Engineering department.

1997: Purchase of Private Jet

In 1997, Bill Gates, despite his wealth, flew coach until he bought a private jet.

1998: Purchase of Lost on the Grand Banks

In 1998, Bill Gates reportedly paid $30 million for the painting Lost on the Grand Banks, a record price for an American painting at the time.

1999: First Centibillionaire

In 1999, Bill Gates became the first centibillionaire when his net worth briefly exceeded $100 billion.

2000: Formation of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

In 2000, Bill Gates and his wife combined three family foundations and donated stock valued at $5 billion to create the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

May 2006: Remarked he disliked being the richest man

In May 2006, Bill Gates remarked that he wished that he was not the richest man in the world, because he disliked the attention that it brought.

2009: Property taxes on Xanadu 2.0

In 2009, property taxes on Bill Gates's mansion, Xanadu 2.0, were reported to be US$1.063 million, with a total assessed value of US$147.5 million.

2009: Opening of Gates Center for Computer Science

In 2009, the Gates Center for Computer Science opened at Carnegie Mellon University, funded by a $20 million donation from Bill Gates through his foundation.

December 9, 2010: Giving Pledge Commitment

On December 9, 2010, Bill and Melinda Gates, along with Warren Buffett, signed the "Giving Pledge", committing to donate at least half of their wealth to charity over time.

March 2014: Rolling Stone Interview on Climate Change, Tech, and America

In March 2014, Bill Gates gave an interview to Rolling Stone magazine. He shared his views on climate change, his philanthropic work, various tech companies and their leaders, and the state of America. Gates also expressed his fear about potential future pandemics or nuclear/bioterrorism events that could cause mass casualties.

2014: Drinking Water Produced from Human Feces

In 2014, to raise awareness for sanitation and possible solutions, Bill Gates drank water that was "produced from human feces" via the Omni Processor.

2014: Religious Beliefs Interview

In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, Bill Gates discussed his views on religion, stating that the moral systems of religion are "super important" and expressing a belief in God.

March 2015: TED Conference and Pandemic Warning

During the TED conference in March 2015, Bill Gates recommended Nick Bostrom's "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies" and warned that the world was not ready for the next pandemic.

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

Check it on Amazon

2015: Appearance on The Tonight Show

In early 2015, Bill Gates appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and challenged him to a taste test between reclaimed water and bottled water to highlight sanitation solutions.

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January 31, 2016: Guest on Desert Island Discs

On January 31, 2016, Bill Gates was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, in which he talked about his relationships with his father and Steve Jobs, meeting Melinda Ann French, the start of Microsoft and some of his habits. His choice of things to take on a desert island were, for music: "Blue Skies" by Willie Nelson; a book: The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker; and luxury item: a DVD Collection of Lectures from The Teaching Company.

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2016: Gates Reveals Color-Blindness

In 2016, Bill Gates revealed that he was color-blind.

April 2017: Match for Africa 4

In April 2017, Bill Gates partnered with Roger Federer in the Match for Africa 4, a tennis match in Seattle that raised $2 million for children in Africa.

March 5, 2018: Match for Africa 5

On March 5, 2018, Bill Gates and Roger Federer played in the Match for Africa 5 in San Jose, raising over $2.5 million for charity.

March 2018: Meeting with Saudi Crown Prince

In March 2018, Bill Gates met with Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in Seattle to explore investment opportunities related to Saudi Vision 2030.

June 2018: Free ebooks for graduates

In June 2018, Gates offered free ebooks to new graduates of U.S. colleges and universities.

August 25, 2018: Donation to UNICEF for Kerala Flood Victims

On August 25, 2018, Bill Gates, through his foundation, distributed $600,000 via UNICEF to help flood victims in Kerala, India.

October 2018: Death of Paul Allen

In October 2018, Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and longtime friend of Bill Gates, passed away. They remained friends until Allen's death.

2019: Cameo in Silicon Valley series finale

In 2019, Bill Gates appeared in a cameo role in the series finale of Silicon Valley.

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2019: Divestment from Fossil Fuels

In 2019, Bill Gates began to divest from fossil fuels, stating that he did not expect the divestment to have much practical impact, but that he did not want to personally benefit from an increase in fossil fuel stock prices if his efforts to provide alternatives were to fail.

2019: Efforts to Convince Joe Manchin on Climate Bill

Starting in 2019, Bill Gates began working to convince Joe Manchin to support a climate bill, which eventually resulted in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.

March 2020: Departure from Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway Boards

In March 2020, Microsoft announced that Bill Gates would be leaving his board positions at Berkshire Hathaway and Microsoft to focus on philanthropic work related to climate change, global health and development, and education.

November 2020: Advocacy for COVID-19 Mask Normalization

In a November 2020 interview, Bill Gates advocated for the normalization of wearing COVID-19 masks, comparing it to wearing pants in public.

December 8, 2020: Singapore FinTech Festival Fireside Chat

On December 8, 2020, Bill Gates spoke at the Singapore FinTech Festival on "Building Infrastructure for Resilience: What the COVID-19 Response Can Teach Us About How to Scale Financial Inclusion".

2020: Death of William H. Gates Sr.

In 2020, William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates' father, passed away.

2020: Reference to the 2020 United States presidential election

In February 2021, Bill Gates referred to the 2020 United States presidential election, as a result of which Facebook and Twitter had banned Donald Trump from their platforms. He said that a permanent ban of Trump "would be a shame" and would be an "extreme measure".

February 2021: Collaboration with Anthony Fauci on COVID-19

As of February 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci were frequently communicating and working together on vaccines and medical innovations to combat the pandemic.

February 18, 2021: Views on Trump's Social Media Bans

On February 18, 2021, after Facebook and Twitter banned Donald Trump, Bill Gates stated that a permanent ban "would be a shame" and "an extreme measure", fearing it would cause further political polarization.

May 3, 2021: Announcement of Divorce

On May 3, 2021, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their decision to divorce after more than 27 years of marriage.

August 2, 2021: Divorce Finalized

On August 2, 2021, the divorce between Bill and Melinda Gates was finalized, with financial details remaining confidential.

October 2021: Jennifer Gates' Marriage

In October 2021, Bill Gates's eldest daughter, Jennifer, married Olympic equestrian Nayel Nassar.

2021: Free ebooks for students worldwide

In 2021, Gates offered free ebooks to all college and university students around the world.

2021: Shift in Public Opinion after Divorce Announcement

In 2021, the announcement of Bill and Melinda Gates' divorce led to a shift in public opinion, with information about romantic pursuits and his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein emerging.

May 10, 2022: Gates Tests Positive for COVID-19

On May 10, 2022, Bill Gates announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms, despite having received three doses of the vaccine.

February 2023: Dating Paula Hurd

In February 2023, Bill Gates confirmed that he was dating Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle Corporation and Hewlett-Packard chief executive Mark Hurd.

March 2023: Birth of first Granddaughter

In March 2023, Bill Gates's daughter, Jennifer Gates Nassar, gave birth to his first granddaughter.

May 6, 2023: Commencement Address at Northern Arizona University

On May 6, 2023, Bill Gates delivered a commencement address at Northern Arizona University, where he received an honorary doctorate and shared insights on climate change.

2023: Interviewee on Amol Rajan Interviews series

In 2023, Bill Gates was the interviewee in an episode of the Amol Rajan Interviews series on BBC Two, and was the subject of an episode of the UK Channel 4 series The Billionaires Who Made Our World.

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October 2024: Birth of second Granddaughter

In October 2024, Bill Gates's daughter, Jennifer Gates Nassar, gave birth to his second granddaughter.

October 2024: Donation to Future Forward USA Action

In October 2024, it was reported that Bill Gates had donated $50 million to Future Forward USA Action, an organization supporting Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign. While not explicitly endorsing Harris, Gates noted that "this election is different".