8 Things You Didn’t Know About Bill Gates'

#1. Purchased Original Manuscript By Leonardo Da Vinci

Bill Gates has a great appreciation for both art and literature. When put up for auction, Gates spent over $30 million on the Codex Leicester written in the 16th century by Leonardo Da Vinci. Gates purchased this amazing piece of history in 1994. The codex gives a detailed look at the way Da Vinci viewed science and art. It was purchased by Gates from the estate of Armand Hammer.

#2. Malaria Research

Bill has referred to Malaria as the "forgotten epidemic" and has pledged over $250 million toward research that will eradicate the disease. In fact, much of Gates' wealth has centered around research and development of vaccines for diseases and other world health efforts.

#3. He Is An Avid Blogger

He shares most all of his thoughts through a blog that is wealth of information on all of his projects and many personal insights. Gatesnotes.com provides readers with detailed glimpses into the wealthiest man on earth's thoughts. Those that don't know about Bill can read about him and his wife, along with the history of the founding of Microsoft and other ventures through his life.

Gates Notes also talks extensively about projects that are for the betterment of the world. Whether it is his philanthropic efforts to end poverty, ideas on the improving education or initiatives in the world of science and technology, he puts all of those thoughts in his blog. It is available for all to see and kept surprisingly current given his very busy schedule.

#4. Sponsored A Poop-to-Water Machine

The machine is called an Omniprocessor, and it's actually very cool! See, when you're a billionaire, you can hear about cool things that seem a bit silly and take a very expensive walk down that path. But Gates isn't just investing on a whim to be funny. The problem associated with poor sanitation practices is astounding. Apparently, over 700,000 children die every year as a result of poor sanitation.

Gates watched as feces went through a machine and was processed into clear, clean and delicious drinking water! He even took a long drink as it came out the other end (pardon the pun). As he describes in his personal blog, machines like this could go a long way to provide clean water and electricity, as well as provide proper human waste sanitation to the whole world. What a cool idea and a great investment.

#5. Funded a Super Banana

I suppose $10 million to fund a genetically enhanced banana is no big deal when you're the wealthiest man on earth. If you want a super banana, you get a super banana! Seems a bit odd and eccentric, but then again maybe he just really likes bananas. Well, like so many of his other investments, there's a pretty awesome reason. In Africa, bananas are very abundant and a popular source of food. The banana itself though is not rich in vitamin A.

It turns out that vitamin A deficiency can cause problems with eyesight, including blindness. A deficiency in vitamin A is also bad for the immune system. So Gates saw the opportunity to enhance bananas with more vitamin A as a great chance to save more lives! Leave it to Bill Gates to be so innovative and creative with his money.

#6. His Children Will Not Inherit Everything

Bill and Melinda Gates have both made it clear over the years that their children will not be inheriting the bulk of their estate. Gates could set it up so that generations worth of Gates children never have to work a day in their lives, but this is not what he wants. They will get an amazing education through college, but then he wants them to go into the world and start their own careers.

While Gates won't allow his children to be poor, it is his desire that they grow to make something for themselves. The idea that any children in the Gates family lineage would never work is something he couldn't stand and simply won't allow. So while they will inherit a large amount of money from Gates upon his death, it will only be a fraction of a fraction of his net worth.

#7. Ending Poverty

Gates very publicly wants to end poverty. He is of the belief that through the intervention of some of the wealthiest people on earth, it is possible to create a better life for humanity. For this reason, beyond his work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he and Warren Buffett established The Giving Pledge Foundation. Both men, set out to meet with some of the wealthiest people in Asian nations to implore them to join the initiative.

If the goal of eradicating poverty is the mission of The Giving Pledge Foundation, then it will take a lot more than Bill and Warren, though, there are no two men better paired to convince others to join. Over 80 people have signed-on and pledged their support to the foundation. His giving spirit and drive to help others is truly inspirational for the world.

#8. Bill Gates Only Speaks English

One of the biggest regrets of his life is that he didn't learn to speak another language (not counting computer languages). He's quoted from an online Reddit chat as saying: "I feel pretty stupid that I don't know any foreign languages." He's stated that he's worked a little to learn another language conversationally in the past, but just didn't keep up with it enough to be successful.

He has praised Mark Zuckerberg for learning Mandarin fluently, wishing that he had the opportunity to converse with others in their native language. He's mentioned that he took both Greek and Latin in school, earning good grades, but just wasn't able to become conversational. There's still plenty of time, as he's far from an old man. Time will tell if this changes for Bill, since it seems to be something he feels strongly about. Mastering another language should be child's play compared to creating Microsoft!