The History of Bill Gates and Microsoft

By mohtashim_a

  • The Start

    The Start
    Bill Gates was born in Seattle to William H and Mary Maxwell Gates

  • Childhood

    At the age thirteen, Bill writes his first Computer Program in Basic on an old Teletype model 33 terminal at school.

  • Traf-o-Data

    Bill starts a business with Paul Allen. Their main product is the Traf-o-Data. The program helped keep tabs on traffic programs

  • Graduation

    Graduation
    Bill Gates graduates from Lakeside in June after scoring 1590 out of 1600 points on the SAT. Bill Gates is accepted into the pre-law program at Harvard University.

  • Summer

    Bill Gates Takes a summer job with electronics from Honeywell joining Paul Allen, who had dropped out of collage to work there.

  • Registration

    Bill Gates and Allen officially register Microsoft as a business organization.

  • Speeding

    Bill Gates is arrested in Albuquerque for speeding.

  • New Office

    New Office
    Microsoft opens its first international office, in Japan. Revenue hits $1 million.

  • The Move

    Microsoft moves its office to Bellevue, Washington. Twenty-five employees work full time for the company, which generates US$2.5 million in revenue that year.

  • New Software

    Microsoft launches Windows 98. Steve Ballmer becomes president of Microsoft.

  • New CEO

    Microsoft launches two separate versions of Windows: 2000 and Me, short for Millennium Edition. Bill Gates passes his title of Microsoft CEO to Steve Ballmer; Gates officially becomes known as Chief Software Architect.

  • New Items

    Window XP and Xbox were released

  • Anti-Trust

    Bill Gates becomes a board member at Berkshire Hathaway, friend Warren Buffett’s investment business. The European Commission launches an anti-trust investigation against Microsoft.

  • Queen Elizabeth

    "Time” names Bill and Melinda gates and U2’sBono as its Person of the year because of their philanthropic work. Bill Gates receives an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth.

  • Donation

    Warren Buffett gives the bulk of his wealth, US$31 billion, to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. – Bill Gates announces that he will step down from his full-time job at Microsoft in 2008. – Bill Gates receives the 2006 James C Morgan Global Humanitarian Award.

  • Vista

    Bill Gates receives an honorary doctor of law degree from Harvard; he gives the commencement speech at the ceremony. – Microsoft introduces Windows Vista and Office 2007.

  • Fine

    The European Union fines Microsoft $1.4 billion – Bill Gates spends his last day at Microsoft. He stays on as chairman. (27 June) – The number of Microsoft employees hits 90,000.

  • Facebook

    Despite losing US$18 billion in net worth, Bill Gates usurps friend Warren Buffett as Forbes’ number one billionaire in the world, retaining US$40 billion in personal wealth. – Bill Gates quits using Facebook because too many people wanted to friend him.

  • Sundance Film

    Bill Gates attends the Sundance Film Festival to help promote “Waiting for Superman”, a documentary that he helped to found on America’s failing education system. – Bill Gates rejoins Facebook, and signs up for Twitter as well.

  • Richest Person

    Bill Gates loses the top spot on Forbes’ Richest Person in the World list because he’s given away so much money, but is still second on the list, with US$53 billion; Bill Gates still the wealthiest American. – Rumors swirl late in the year that Bill Gates would return to Microsoft. No dice, he says he likes his foundation work too much.