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, an American businessman and philanthropist, revolutionized personal computing as co-founder of Microsoft in 1975 alongside Paul Allen. Microsoft's IPO in 1986 catapulted Gates to billionaire status by 1987, becoming the world's youngest at the time. He dominated Forbes' wealthiest person list for 18 years between 1995 and 2017, including a 13-year consecutive reign. Gates became the first centibillionaire in 1999. As of May 2025, his net worth stands at $115.1 billion, ranking him as the world's thirteenth-richest individual.

Sections (6)

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

1925: William H. Gates Sr. Born

William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates's father, was born in 1925.

1929: Mary Maxwell Born

Mary Maxwell Gates, Bill Gates's mother, was born in 1929.

October 28, 1955: William Gates III Born

On October 28, 1955, William Henry Gates III was born in Seattle, Washington. He is an American businessman and philanthropist.

1970: CCC Went Out of Business

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

1972: Served as Congressional Page

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

1973: Enrolled at Harvard University

In 1973, Bill Gates enrolled at Harvard University, where he took classes including Math 55 and graduate level computer science courses.

1973: Graduated from Lakeside School

In 1973, Bill Gates graduated from Lakeside School and enrolled at Harvard University in the autumn.

January 1975: Read Popular Electronics Issue

In January 1975, Bill Gates read the issue of Popular Electronics which demonstrated the Altair 8800, and contacted MITS to propose a BASIC interpreter.

2024 Topps Heritage News Flashbacks #NF-1 Altair 8800 Official MLB Baseball Trading Card

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1977: Ballmer Graduates from Harvard

In 1977, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's President, graduated from Harvard. The Maxwell Dworkin Laboratory at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is named after the mothers of both Gates and Ballmer who donated to the lab.

1981: Reputation for being distant

In 1981, an industry executive complained that "Gates is notorious for not being reachable by phone and for not returning phone calls."

1987: Meeting Melinda French

In 1987, Bill Gates met Melinda French at a trade fair in New York, where she was a new employee at Microsoft.

1987: Became Youngest Billionaire

In 1987, following Microsoft's IPO in 1986, Bill Gates became the world's youngest billionaire at age 31.

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 married Melinda French at the Manele Golf Course on the Hawaiian Island of Lānaʻi.

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.

1994: Mary Maxwell Gates Death

Mary Maxwell Gates, Bill Gates's mother, passed away in 1994.

November 1995: The Road Ahead Publication

In November 1995, Bill Gates's book, The Road Ahead, co-authored with Nathan Myhrvold and Peter Rinearson, was published. It discussed the personal computing revolution and the future information superhighway.

1995: World's Wealthiest Person

In 1995, Forbes magazine ranked Bill Gates as the world's wealthiest person, a position he held for 18 out of 24 years between 1995 and 2017.

January 1996: Gates Donates to Stanford Computer Science Building

In January 1996, Bill Gates donated $6 million for the construction of the Gates Computer Science Building at Stanford University.

1997: Purchase of Private Jet

In 1997, Bill Gates bought a private jet after previously flying coach in commercial aircraft.

1998: Purchase of Lost on the Grand Banks Painting

In 1998, Bill Gates reportedly paid $30 million for the original 1885 maritime painting Lost on the Grand Banks.

1999: First Centibillionaire

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

1999: Business @ the Speed of Thought Publication

In 1999, Bill Gates's book, Business @ the Speed of Thought, co-authored with Collins Hemingway, was published. It discusses the integration of business and technology.

Business @ the Speed of Thought: Using a Digital Nervous System

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2000: Co-founded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

In 2000, Bill Gates and his then-wife Melinda French Gates co-chaired the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, focusing on health, education, and poverty alleviation.

2000: Foundation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Starting in 2000 with the foundation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates turned his attention to philanthropy, spending more than $50 billion on causes like health, poverty, and education.

May 2006: Dislike for being the richest man

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

2007: Wealthiest Person Streak Ended

Bill Gates was the world's wealthiest person for 13 consecutive years, ending in 2007.

2009: Donation to Carnegie Mellon University for Gates Center for Computer Science

In 2009, Bill Gates, through his foundation, donated $20 million to Carnegie Mellon University for a new building named Gates Center for Computer Science.

2009: Property Taxes on Xanadu 2.0

In 2009, the property taxes on Bill Gates' mansion, Xanadu 2.0, were reported to be US$1.063 million, based on a total 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.

2014: Statements on Religion and Science

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 that science has filled some of the realm that religion used to fill.

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, discussing his relationships, Microsoft's start, and habits. He selected Willie Nelson's "Blue Skies", Steven Pinker's "The Better Angels of Our Nature", and a DVD Collection of Lectures from The Teaching Company as items for a desert island.

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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, raising $2 million for children in Africa. They played against John Isner and Mike McCready, winning the match.

October 2017: Surpassed by Jeff Bezos

In October 2017, Bill Gates was surpassed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the richest person in the world.

November 2017: Donation to Alzheimer's Research

In November 2017, Bill Gates pledged $50 million to the Dementia Discovery Fund and an additional $50 million to Alzheimer's research startups.

2017: Wealth Ranking

Between 1995 and 2017, Forbes magazine ranked Bill Gates as the world's wealthiest person for 18 out of 24 years.

March 5, 2018: Match for Africa 5

On March 5, 2018, Bill Gates and Roger Federer played in the Match for Africa 5, raising over $2.5 million. Their opponents were Jack Sock and Savannah Guthrie. Gates and Federer won the match with a score of 6-3.

June 2018: Free Ebooks for US Graduates

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

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

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

October 2018: Allen's Death

Paul Allen passed away in October 2018. Gates and Allen repaired their relationship and remained friends until Allen's death.

2018: Surpassed by Jeff Bezos

In 2018, Jeff Bezos surpassed Bill Gates' wealth on The World's Billionaires list.

2019: Cameo on Silicon Valley

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

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2019: Melinda Consults Divorce Attorneys

In 2019, Melinda Gates began consulting with divorce attorneys, reportedly due in part to concerns over Bill Gates's ties with Jeffrey Epstein.

2020: 2020 United States presidential election

In 2020, The United States had its presidential election which led to the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

2020: William H. Gates Sr. Death

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

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.

August 2, 2021: Divorce Finalized

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

October 2021: Daughter Jennifer's Marriage

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

2021: Deterioration of Public Image

In 2021, Bill Gates experienced a shift in public opinion due to his divorce announcement, information about romantic pursuits, and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: Free Ebooks for College Students Worldwide

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

2021: Publication of "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster"

In 2021, Bill Gates published "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," detailing his research and investments in climate change solutions.

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need

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May 10, 2022: Testing Positive for COVID-19

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

July 2022: Commitment to Charity

In July 2022, Bill Gates reiterated his Giving Pledge commitment, announcing on Twitter that he planned to give 'virtually all' his wealth to charity.

September 2022: Politico Exposé

In September 2022, Politico published an exposé critical of NGO leadership at the helm of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic response, written in cooperation with the German newspaper Die Welt, including criticisms of the interconnectivity of the non-profits with Bill Gates.

2022: Publication of How to Prevent the Next Pandemic

In 2022, Bill Gates published "How to Prevent the Next Pandemic", which proposes a "Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization" (GERM) team with annual funding of $1 billion under the WHO.

How to Prevent the Next Pandemic

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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: Jennifer Gates Gives Birth

In March 2023, Bill Gates's eldest daughter, Jennifer, gave birth to her first child.

2023: BBC Two Interview

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: Jennifer Gates Gives Birth to Second Child

In October 2024, Bill Gates's eldest daughter, Jennifer, gave birth to her second child.

2024: Renamed Gates Foundation

In 2024, following the couple's divorce and Melinda French Gates' resignation as co-chair, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was renamed the Gates Foundation, with Bill Gates as its sole chair.