Full Name: William Henry Gates IIIDate of Birth: October 28, 1955Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington, USANationality: AmericanOccupation: Business magnate, software developer, investor, author, and philanthropistKnown For: Co-founder of Microsoft Corporation Early Life and EducationBill Gates was born into a well-to-do family in Seattle. His father, William H. Gates Sr., was a prominent lawyer, and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates, served on the board of directors for First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way. Gates showed an early interest in computer programming and technology, a passion that was evident even during his time at Lakeside School, a private preparatory school.In 1973, Gates enrolled at Harvard University, where he met Steve Ballmer, who would later become the CEO of Microsoft. However, Gates left Harvard in 1975 to pursue a career in software development. Founding MicrosoftIn 1975, Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft (originally Micro-Soft, short for microcomputer software). Their first significant success came when they adapted the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer.Microsoft's big break came in 1980 when IBM chose Microsoft to provide the operating system for its first personal computer. Gates and Allen licensed an operating system called QDOS from another company, modified it, and renamed it MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System). MS-DOS became wildly popular and established Microsoft as a major player in the software industry.