We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Bill Gates, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the entrepreneur and Microsoft magnate that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: He Paid $30 Million for a Manuscript. Even though it was an original Leonardo da Vinci manuscript, that’s still a lot of money. Gates paid $30.8 million for da Vinci’s Codex Leicester.
Number Seven: He Has Donated Nearly $30 Billion. As of 2007, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation had given more than $28 billion to charity. The charity aims to eliminate hunger and poverty using advanced technology and by improving the education system.
Number Six: He Double Dated With Steve Jobs. It’s true! Gates and Jobs double dated in the 1980s with whoever it was they were dating at the time.
Number Five: He Sold His First Computer Program for $4,200. Gates was 17 years old when he sold his very first computer program to his high school for $4,200. The program was a timetabling system.
Number Four: He Made Sure He Was in Classes With Pretty Girls. We already mentioned that Gates made a useful program for his high school; however, he also made a useful program for himself around then. He was able to modify the school’s schedule so he was in classes with all the people (and pretty girls) he wanted.
Number Three: He Pays the Media. In what some might consider a pretty shady move, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation will often pay respected publications to publish articles advocating the foundation’s interests regarding policy. Though many of the foundation’s policies are positive, some might consider this practice to be dishonest.
Number Two: He Doesn’t Answer His Phone. According to an executive at Microsoft, Gates earned a reputation of being unable to reach by phone when he was at Microsoft.
Number One: He Makes More Than $20 Million Every Day. Gates earns about $250 every second, which means he earned $15,000 every minute. He earned thousands of dollars while you were reading this article. How about that?