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Bill Gates was born on this day in 1955. In honor of the Microsoft co-founder's birthday, here are some of the most memorable photos of Bill Gates and his wife Melinda. In this Getty photo, Gates is seen speaking about the Ebola crisis in West Africa during the Politico 'Lessons from Leaders' series on September 29, 2014 in Washington, DC. Gates, through his charity called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been instrumental in stemming the tide of infectious disease in parts of Africa. Gates started his charity in 2000. In addition to his charity work with his wife Melinda, Bill Gates is best known for co-founding Microsoft. Gates was the CEO of Microsoft until 2000. He still worked part-time at Microsoft after resigning as CEO. Bill Gates stepped down as chairman of Microsoft in February 2014. He now serves as Microsoft's technology advisor. Microsoft's current CEO is Satya Nadella. Bill Gates has become something of a pop culture icon after his years of service with Microsoft. He recently took the Ice Bucket Challenge, and he was once parodied in an epic rap battle between himself and Steve Jobs. Bill Gates is also one of the richest men in the world. According to Forbes, Bill Gates is worth about $80 billion as of this writing. Forbes adds that Bill Gates is the richest man in America, and that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given away $30 billion since 2000. Forbes notes that the amount of money the Gates Foundation manages would be valued at the 16th largest fortune in America. Not bad for a college dropout (though it's worth noting that Bill Gates has received several honorary doctorates at this point in his life.) Bill Gates resides in Washington state.
Want more Microsoft coverage? Check out our guide to the best accessories for your Microsoft Surface Pro 3, or check out this gallery timeline of the Windows operating system through the years.