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William "Bill" Henry Gates is born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington. Son of William Henry Gates II and Mary Gates.
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Bill is enrolled in Lakeside School, a private school in Seattle, and befriends Paul Allen, who share similar interests in computer programming with Bill. Paul will become Bill's future business partner in Microsoft.
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Bill enters Harvard and shifts focus on mathematics and computer science courses.
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In the university of Harvard, Bill is offered the opportunity to develop software for MITs Altair, and takes absence from school to work on the software he refers to as Micro-Soft.
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Bill drops out of school to work on Microsoft full time, and has Paul Allen as his partner. Gates and Allen register the trademark "Microsoft."
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Bill sets up Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Microsoft's year-end sales exeed $1 million and Gates gains a reputation.
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Microsofts relocates to Bellevue, Washington, near Bill's hometown, Seattle.
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Microsoft incorporates and buys the rights to operating system "DOS," which is later renamed "MS-DOS" and becomes the company's new personal computer.
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Allen gains Hodgkins's disease, and leaves Microsoft.
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Microsoft releases its first version of Windows as an extension to MS-DOS operating system.
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Microsoft headquarters relocates once again to Redmond, Washington. The company finally goes public shortly after.
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Bill Gates becomes the youngest billionare alive at age 31, and meets his future wife, Melinda French, at a Microsoft convention.
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Bill marries Melinda and have three children. Jennifer Katharine Gates, Phoebe Adele Gates, and Rory John Gates. The Gateses start charitable giving under The William H. Gates Foundation, named after Bill's father.
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Microsoft introduces Windows 95 and Internet Explorer, which explodes among the public. Bill also becomes the richest man alive at age 39.
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Bill publishes another best selling book, Business @ the Speed of Thought, and begins to appear more in pop culture. Appearing in television and movies
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Bill steps down as CEO of Microsoft and Steve Ballmer takes his place. Bill becomes chief sotware architect. Also, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is formed.
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Microsoft releases Windows XP and Xbox game system, which was a worldwide success.
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Bill announces his job as an executive at Microsoft will be phased out over the next few years and he intends to spend more time working on The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Bill announces his retirement from his day to day duties at his company on June 27, but will still be advisor on important development projects. He loses his spot as richest man alive, keeping the spot for many years, and plans to pour as much energy into The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as he did into Microsoft.
