Bill Gates was born in 1955. His name when he was born was William Henry Gates. He is a founder of Microsoft and a philantropist.

Look, this is Lakeside school. When I went there I

wrote my first computer program here.

Bill Gates went to a private school. He was a good student. He was good at Maths and Science. At that time, there were only few computers. They were too large and costly to buy them and use at home. So, the school hired a computer for students. Bill was amazed by the computer. He wanted to learn more about it. He learnt that programs ran computers. Very soon he began to write programs and he was good at it. He read more and more about computers. He spent most of his time in the computer room.

Bill Gates founded his first company in 1970. The company was called Traf-O-Data. His school friend Paul Allen became his partner in the company. Together they made a small computer. Weren’t they clever boys? In our opinion they were.

At first, the computer helped to measure traffic flow. They made a lot of money. Lucky they!

Computers look so different nowadays!

In 1973 Bill Gates went to Harvard University. But he was no longer interested in studies. He wanted to start a software company. He knew that home computers were the future. He also knew that these machines would need software.

The next year he and Paul Allen wrote a computer program. The program was for a personal computer. It worked perfectly. The software was a great success. They were ready to started their own software company.

And what happened next?

In 1975 Bill Gates and Paul Allen started their own company. They called it Microsoft Corporation. It is the largest software company in the world. Microsoft made a new software. It was called Microsoft Windows and became widely used very soon. To be honest it became the most successful software ever. It made the richest company in the world. And Bill Gates became the richest man in the world soon.

Bill Gates wrote two books. His first book was ‘The Road Ahead’. It was published in 1995. It was a best seller. In 1999 he published his second book. He called it ‘Business @ the Speed of Tought’. It was published in 25 lanuages.

Have you read these books?

In 2000 Bill and his wife Melinda started a fundation. They called it the Bill and Melinda Gates Fundation. Many people believe that it is the largest fundation in the world. The fundation helps people in the USA and other countries.

Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur. He believs in hard work. He loves reading. Bill Gates has changed the way we learn and entertain ourselves.

Do you play computer games in your free time?

What do you use your computer for?

Glossary• entrepreneur – a person who starts a new businessInIn Polish: przedsiębiorcaIn Bulgarian:In Portuguese:• fundation – a charitable organizationIn Polish: fundacjaIn Bulgarian:In Portuguese:• founder – a person who starts something, for example a new company In Polish: założycielIn Bulgarian:In Portuguese:• Technology – the study and use of science for practical purposes in industryIn Polish: technologiaIn Bulgarian:In Portuguese:• enterprise – the way business is organized In Polish: przedsiębiorstwoIn Bulgarian:In Portuguese:

• Harvard University-a famous university in USA

In Polish: Uniwersytet Harvarda

In Bulgarian:

In Portuguese:

• personal computer – a small computer that you use in your home or school

In Polish: komputer osobisty

In Bulgarian:

In Portuguese:• philanthropist – a person who does charity

In Polish: filantrop

In Bulgarian:

In Portuguese:• Brilliant - very clever or inteligent

In Polish: geniusz

In Bulgarian:

In Portuguese:• revolution – a complete change in methods,opinions

In Polish: rewolucja

In Bulgarian:

In Portuguese:

Prepared by:

Wojtek ŻochBogusław Mrożek

Robert Januszewski

Primary School No 5, Bielsk Podlaski, Poland