Bill Gates is known for starting Microsoft, the company that developed the Windows operating system, but he has many other accomplishments. In 1987, Gates became the youngest millionaire ever at the age of 31, according to a report from NPR.
Bill Gates attended Harvard University with the intention of studying law, but he quickly shifted gears and started studying computer science and mathematics. He started working on a software called Micro-Soft in 1975.
Gates incorporated Microsoft and purchased the rights to the DOS operating system in 1981. After modifying the system and renaming it MS-DOS, Gates licensed it to IBM. In 1995, Gates released a "New York Times" bestseller called The Road Ahead and became the richest man in the world. As at May 21, 2014, Gates still topped the list of world billionaires.
Bill Gates is also known for his charitable giving. He and his wife, Melinda, established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve healthcare, give American children more educational opportunities and fight extreme poverty.
