In the Beginning

 
April 4, 1975: Bill Gates, Paul Allen Form a Little Partnership

Bill Gates and Paul Allen create a partnership called Micro-soft. It will grow into one of the largest U.S. corporations and place them among the world’s richest people. More …

Nov. 10, 1983: Gates Opens Windows a Bit Early

Microsoft chief Bill Gates unveils the Windows operating system for PCs. Don’t hold your breath waiting until you can buy a copy … unless you can hold your breath for two years. More …

May 26, 1995: Gates, Microsoft Jump on 'Internet Tidal Wave

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates throws his company wholeheartedly into supporting, enhancing and profiting from the internet. He calls the growing phenomenon “the internet tidal wave.” More …

Aug. 24, 1995: Say Hello to Windows 95

Windows 95 is released. While it wasn’t Microsoft’s first operating system based on a graphical user interface, Windows 95 represented the biggest step away from the far less user-friendly MS-DOS system. More …

Feb. 4, 1998: Gates Gets Creamed

Microsoft mogul Bill Gates gets a pie in the face. It’s a day millions have been dreaming of. More …

Sept. 28, 1998: Internet Explorer Leaves Netscape in Its Wake

A report from the International Data Corporation shows that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has passed Netscape Navigator in browser share for the first time. More …

Gallery: A History of Microsoft Windows

The world’s most ubiquitous operating system was not always so. The evolution of Windows was often uncertain and precarious. Its success was symbiotic with advancements in processor speed and memory capacity, and Microsoft relied heavily on third-party software to bridge the gap between concept and consumer. Tour the 27-year history of the Windows OS through these screenshots. See here …

Gallery: Blue Screen of Death … Through the Ages

Windows has gone through many changes over the years, but one feature has remained comfortingly consistent: the Blue Screen of Death. Otherwise known as a system freeze, the BSOD is well known to Windows users the world over. We take a look at some of the more unlikely BSOD sightings. See here …

Gates Retires in 2008

 
So Long, Bill Gates, and Thanks for the Monopoly

He’s a merciless competitor, a shameless “fan” of other people’s ideas and an unapologetic monopolist. And because of all that, Bill Gates has done more to create the thriving computer industry than anybody else.

As Gates prepares to retire from full-time work at Microsoft July 1, after 33 years of doing everything from writing code to defending his company’s business practices in court, many people are saying “good riddance” to the man most techies loved to hate. What the critics won’t acknowledge is that it was Gates’ most obnoxious qualities that made it possible for the tech industry to grow as large as it has. More …

What We’ll Miss About Bill Gates — a Very Long Good-Bye

Bill Gates, we’ll miss you. Not just because you’re the ultimate geek-villain-pioneer-entrepreneur-monopolist. But because you’ve always been there for us. To love. To hate. To envy. To pick on. So this month, your last as a full-time Microsoft employee, we realized it was only right and proper to look back on your storied career. (Or we just love your mug shot from the Albuquerque arrest.) More …

The Many (Geeky) Faces of Bill Gates

The Bill Gates that most people are familiar with is the socially awkward nerd who strong-armed his way into becoming the head of the largest software company in the world.

In reality, Gates is a smooth operator who, despite his uncombed hair, baby face and disheveled appearance, knew exactly what he was doing every step of the way. He successfully transitioned from cocky college dropout to brass-knuckle negotiator to seasoned captain of industry, eventually becoming the richest man in the world and a model philanthropist. More …

And Now for Something Different

 
Bill Gates Funds Research Into Climate Hacking

Bill Gates has sunk at least $4.5 million of his personal wealth into geoengineering research.

While it’s only a small chunk of his vast personal fortune, it’s a sign that the founder of Microsoft thinks we should at least be looking into the controversial practice of intentionally altering the Earth’s climate on a global scale. More …

Bill Gates and Friends Make Case for Energy R&D

Bill Gates and a host of other corporate heavy hitters have founded a new organization to push for more research and development into clean-energy technology.

Gates and former DuPont CEO Charles Holliday heralded the launch of the American Energy Innovation Council with an unusually clear and concise argument for increased government support for green tech R&D. More …

Images: 1) Bill Gates smiles during a ceremony honoring him and his wife Melinda Gates with the 2010 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Oct. 15. Jacquelyn Martin/AP.
2) Gates speaks before a giant screen at the Windows 95 launch, Aug. 24, 1995, on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington. Gary Stewart/AP.
3) Wired.com’s tribute tape from Gates’ retirement in 2008.
4) Gates in 1984/AP.

See Also:

• March 8, 1955: The Mother of All Operating Systems
• July 9, 1955: Scientists Speak Up to End the Madness
• Aug. 7, 1955: Tune In Tokyo!
• Oct. 25, 1955: Time to Nuke Dinner
• Nov. 5, 1955: A Flux of Genius
• Oct. 28, 1793: Whitney's Cotton Gin Patent Not Worth Much
• Oct. 28, 1998: President Signs New Copyright Law

Authors: Wired.com Staff

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