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5/7/11
William (Bill) H. Gates III
By Jessica Mancini

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates, born on October 28, 1955, has impacted today’s world of technology in huge ways. Bill Gates (William H. Gates III) is the founder of Microsoft and was first to have the idea for people to have personal computers in their homes. Without him and his ideas for new technology, we would not have our computers and programs that we have today, or at least not in such an advanced state. Bill Gates is a truly amazing man and has greatly improved the U.S., and even the World, in technology and the way it is used.

Gates was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He lived with his two sisters Kristianne and Libby, his mother Mary Gates (a teacher, chairwoman of United Way International, and University of Washington regent), and his father William H. Gates II (Seattle attorney). Gates went to a public elementary school in his young childhood years and later to the private Lakeside School in North Seattle where he was programming computers and writing programs by the age of 13! Gates was a pioneer in the world of computers that was only barely getting started. “He pursued his passion through college. Striking out on his own with his friend and business partner Paul Allen, Gates found himself at the right place at the right time.”(http://www.biography.com/) Gates attended Harvard University as a freshman in 1973. There, he developed a version of the programming language, BASIC, which was first developed by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz at Dartmouth in the mid-1960s, for the first microcomputer, the MTS Altair. “Through technological innovation, keen business strategy, and aggressive competitive tactics he built the world's largest software business, Microsoft. In the process he became one of the richest men in the world.”(http://www.biography.com/)

Gates dropped out of Harvard to completely devote himself to Microsoft, the company he started with Paul Allen in 1975, where they made software for personal computers. Microsoft is now one of the largest computer companies in the world. Gates was also interested in biotechnology. He is on the board of ICOS Corporation and shareholder in Chiroscience Group of the United Kingdom- Chiroscience R&D Inc. Gates also founded the Corbis Corporation, which is “a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography from public and private collections around the globe” (http://www.thocp.net/). He also invested with cell phone pioneer, Craig McCaw in Teledestic. In 1995, Gates wrote a book called The Road Ahead. It was about his version of where information technology will take society. Because of his great accomplishments and overall brilliance he has become very wealthy. “Microsoft cofounder and chief executive officer Bill Gates has become the wealthiest man in America and one of the most influential personalities in the ever-evolving computer industry(http://www.notablebiographies.com/ ). Gates has greatly impacted the world and today’s technology would not have been the same without him.

In a dozen yrs since Microsoft went public, he donated $800 million to charities, and $200 million to Gates Library Foundation. Because Bill Gates is amazing brain and successful in his business, he has set the stakes high for the title of the wealthiest man. He is one of the top 3 wealthiest men, including Warren Buffett and last year’s richest man, Carlos Slim. “But it would be no contest if Microsoft co-founder Gates had not already given away more than a third of his wealth to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on global health and development and U.S. education.” (http://www.reuters.com/). "It wouldn't be a competition, (Gates) would have a comfortable margin if he had never discovered philanthropy." (http://www.reuters.com/) Said director of global valuations at wealth research firm Wealth-X, David Lincoln. Gates deserves his wealth. He is responsible for creating Microsoft, Windows, Internet Explorer, and many other advances in technology. When he was a young boy in the sixties, he was already far ahead of many in the field of computers. This was before everyone, or anyone, had access to computers in their homes! Today we use computers every day without even considering what it would be like if we still didn’t have the ability to use them so simply. Bill Gates has influenced your everyday lives and the world more than you can even imagine!

Bill Gates is a truly amazing person and has shaped the world of technology with his own two hands. He grew up in Seattle, Washington and was extremely advanced throughout his school years. On January 1, 1994, he married Melinda French Gates. He now has three children; Jennifer Katharine Gates (1996), Rory John Gates (1999), and Phoebe Adelle Gates (2002). In 2005 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and was given the title “Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire”. So, not only did he have an impact on the U.S., but on the rest of the world as well. Bill Gates is an incredibly inspirational and brilliant man that really has changed the world!