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, most famous for co-founding Microsoft with Paul Allen. He held various leadership roles within the company, including CEO and chief software architect, and was its largest individual shareholder for many years. Gates is recognized as a pivotal figure in the microcomputer revolution during the 1970s and 1980s, shaping the landscape of modern computing.
1925: Birth of William H. Gates Sr.
In 1925, William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates' father, was born.
1929: Birth of Mary Maxwell Gates
In 1929, Mary Maxwell Gates, Bill Gates' mother, was born.
October 28, 1955: William Henry Gates III Born
On October 28, 1955, William Henry Gates III was born. He is known for co-founding Microsoft with Paul Allen and pioneering the microcomputer revolution.
1970: CCC Went Out of Business
In 1970, Computer Center Corporation (CCC) went out of business, ending the arrangement where Gates and others found bugs in their software in exchange for extra computer time.
1972: Gates Serves as Congressional Page
In 1972, at the age of 17, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the House of Representatives.
1973: Graduation from Lakeside School
In 1973, Bill Gates graduated from Lakeside School as a national merit scholar and enrolled at Harvard College in the autumn.
November 1975: Gates Takes Leave from Harvard to Work at MITS
In November 1975, Bill Gates took a leave of absence from Harvard to work with Paul Allen at MITS.
1975: Gates and Allen founded Microsoft
In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1975: Gates and Allen See Opportunity to Start Company
In 1975, upon the release of the MITS Altair 8800, Bill Gates and Paul Allen saw the opportunity to start their own computer software company, leading Gates to drop out of Harvard that same year.
1977: Ballmer Graduation
In 1977, Steven Ballmer 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, ending the formal business partnership between Gates and Allen.
1987: Meeting Melinda French
In 1987, Bill Gates met Melinda French at a trade fair in New York.
1993: Engagement to Melinda French
In 1993, Bill Gates became engaged to Melinda French after dating for six years.
January 1, 1994: Marriage to Melinda French
On January 1, 1994, Bill Gates married Melinda French on the Hawaiian Island of Lānaʻi.
1994: Creation of William H. Gates Foundation
In 1994, Bill Gates donated Microsoft stock to create the "William H. Gates Foundation" after studying the work of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller.
1994: Purchase of 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 auction.
January 1996: Gates Computer Science Building Completion
In January 1996, the Gates Computer Science Building at Stanford University was completed, housing the Computer Science Department and the Computer Systems Laboratory (CSL).
April 26, 1996: Birth of Jennifer Katherine
On April 26, 1996, Jennifer Katherine, the first child of Bill and Melinda Gates, was born.
1997: Purchase of Private Jet
In 1997, Bill Gates purchased a private jet, having previously flown coach on commercial airlines.
1998: Purchase of "Lost on the Grand Banks"
In 1998, Bill Gates reportedly paid $30 million for the original 1885 maritime painting "Lost on the Grand Banks".
May 23, 1999: Birth of Rory John
On May 23, 1999, Rory John, the second child of Bill and Melinda Gates, was born.
1999: Donation to MIT
In 1999, Bill Gates donated $20 million to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the construction of the William H. Gates Building.
2000: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Established
In 2000, Bill Gates and his then-wife Melinda established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a private charitable foundation.
2000: Creation 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.
September 14, 2002: Birth of Phoebe Adele
On September 14, 2002, Phoebe Adele, the third child of Bill and Melinda Gates, was born.
May 2006: Expressed dislike of 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.
June 2008: Gates Transitions to Part-Time Role at Microsoft
In June 2008, Bill Gates transitioned into a part-time role at Microsoft and began full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
2009: Donation to Carnegie Mellon University
In 2009, Bill Gates donated $20 million to Carnegie Mellon University for a new building named Gates Center for Computer Science.
2009: Property Taxes Reported
In 2009, property taxes on the Gates' mansion were reported to be US$1.063 million, with an assessed value of US$147.5 million.
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.
2010: Gates and Buffett Founded The Giving Pledge
In 2010, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge, an agreement where they and other billionaires pledge to give at least half of their wealth towards philanthropy.
2011: Focus on Energy
In 2011, Bill Gates emphasized the importance of environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy, stating he would prioritize it over choosing the next 10 presidents.
March 2014: Rolling Stone Interview
In March 2014, Bill Gates discussed climate change, charitable activities, tech companies, and the state of America in an interview published in Rolling Stone. He expressed concerns about potential future pandemics, nuclear or bioterrorism, and emphasized innovation as the key to progress.
2014: Drinking Water Produced from Human Feces
In 2014, to raise awareness about sanitation, Bill Gates drank water produced from human feces using the Omni Processor sewage treatment process.
2014: Religious and Scientific Beliefs
In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, Bill Gates discussed his religious beliefs and scientific perspectives, emphasizing the importance of moral systems and the role of science in explaining the world.
March 2015: TED Conference Interview
In March 2015, during a TED conference interview with Baidu's CEO Robin Li, Bill Gates recommended Nick Bostrom's book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, and warned that the world was unprepared for a future pandemic.
2015: United Nations Climate Change Conference Initiatives
In 2015, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, Bill Gates announced Mission Innovation, where 20 national governments pledged to double their spending on research and development for carbon-free energy, and Breakthrough Energy, a group of investors who agreed to fund high-risk startups in clean energy technologies, committing $1 billion of his own money to the initiative.
2015: Appearance on The Tonight Show
In early 2015, Bill Gates appeared with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show and challenged him to taste reclaimed water from human feces against bottled water.
2016: Revelation of 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 held in Seattle. They raised $2 million for children in Africa by winning the match (6-4) against John Isner and Mike McCready.
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. Their opponents were Jack Sock and Savannah Guthrie, and Gates and Federer won the match 6-3.
March 2018: Meeting with Mohammed bin Salman
In March 2018, Bill Gates met with Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman in Seattle to discuss investment opportunities for Saudi Vision 2030.
June 2018: Free Ebooks Offered to U.S. Graduates
In June 2018, Bill Gates offered free ebooks to new graduates of U.S. colleges and universities.
August 25, 2018: Kerala flood relief donation
On August 25, 2018, Bill Gates, through his foundation, donated $600,000 via UNICEF to aid flood victims in Kerala, India.
2019: Cameo on Silicon Valley series finale
Bill Gates appeared in a cameo role in 2019 on the series finale of Silicon Valley.
2019: Divestment from Fossil Fuels
In 2019, Bill Gates began to divest from fossil fuels, stating that he does not expect divestment itself to have much practical impact but does not want to personally benefit from an increase in fossil fuel stock prices if his efforts to provide alternatives fail.
2019: Melinda Sought Divorce Attorneys
In 2019, Melinda Gates began meeting with divorce attorneys, reportedly due to concerns about Bill Gates's ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
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 endeavors related to climate change, global health, development, and education.
November 2020: Normalization of COVID-19 Masks
In a November 2020 interview, Bill Gates favored the normalization of COVID-19 masks, comparing not wearing them to not wearing pants.
December 8, 2020: Singapore FinTech Festival Fireside Chat
On December 8, 2020, Bill Gates participated in a virtual fireside chat at the Singapore FinTech Festival, discussing building infrastructure for resilience and scaling financial inclusion in light of the COVID-19 response.
December 2020: Call for Clean Energy Research Institutes
In December 2020, Bill Gates called for the U.S. federal government to create institutes for clean energy research, similar to the National Institutes of Health, and urged rich nations to shift to 100% synthetic beef industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
2020: Response to Trump's Platform Bans
In 2020, following the ban of Donald Trump from Facebook and Twitter, Bill Gates stated that a permanent ban would be a "shame" and an "extreme measure," warning of potential polarization.
February 2021: Collaboration with Anthony Fauci
In February 2021, it was reported that Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci were frequently collaborating on vaccines and other medical innovations to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 18, 2021: Response to Trump's Platform Bans
On February 18, 2021, following the ban of Donald Trump from Facebook and Twitter, Bill Gates stated that a permanent ban would be a "shame" and an "extreme measure," warning of potential polarization.
May 3, 2021: Divorce Announcement
On May 3, 2021, Bill and Melinda Gates announced their decision to divorce after more than 27 years of marriage.
June 2021: Sodium Nuclear Reactor Announcement in Wyoming
In June 2021, Bill Gates's company TerraPower and Warren Buffett's PacifiCorp announced the first sodium nuclear reactor in Wyoming, hailed as a step toward carbon-negative nuclear power.
August 2, 2021: Divorce Finalized
On August 2, 2021, the divorce between Bill and Melinda Gates was finalized.
October 2021: Jennifer Katherine's Marriage
In October 2021, Jennifer Katherine, daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates, married Olympic equestrian Nayel Nassar.
2021: Free Ebooks Offered Globally to College Students
In 2021, Bill Gates offered free ebooks to college and university students around the world.
2021: Shift in Public Opinion Following Divorce Announcement
In 2021, the announcement of Bill and Melinda Gates's divorce brought about information about extramarital affairs and connections with Jeffrey Epstein, leading to a deterioration of his public image.
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 COVID-19 vaccine.
July 2022: Gates Pledges Wealth to Charity
In July 2022, Bill Gates reiterated his commitment to give 'virtually all' of his wealth to charity, aiming to move off the list of the world's richest people.
February 2023: Confirmation of Relationship with Paula Hurd
In February 2023, Bill Gates confirmed that he was dating Paula Hurd, widow of former Oracle Corporation and Hewlett-Packard chief executive Mark Hurd.
March 2023: Becomes a Grandfather
In March 2023, Bill Gates became a grandfather when his daughter Jennifer gave birth to a daughter.
May 6, 2023: Commencement Address at Northern Arizona University
On May 6, 2023, Bill Gates gave a commencement address at Northern Arizona University, where he received an honorary doctorate and shared insights on climate change.
2023: Interviewee on BBC Two and subject of Channel 4 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.
October 2024: Birth of Second Grandchild
In October 2024, Bill Gates's daughter Jennifer gave birth to a second daughter.
October 2024: Donation to Future Forward USA Action
In October 2024, it was reported that Bill Gates had recently donated $50 million to Future Forward USA Action, an organization supporting Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign. Gates did not explicitly endorse Harris but said "this election is different."
February 2025: Relationship Status with Paula Hurd
In February 2025, Bill Gates described Paula Hurd as a "serious girlfriend" and stated that he had "moved past the divorce".
February 2025: Publication of Source Code
In February 2025, the first of Bill Gates's planned three memoirs, titled Source Code, was published.
2025: Gates Reflects on Autism
In 2025, in Source Code, Bill Gates wrote that he believed he was autistic.
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