Microsoft’s co-founder and legendary figure, Bill Gates first tried his fingers at programming at the age of 15, in November1970, more precisely on the 18th of this month, at Lakeside School in Seattle. The school was in possession of a few early computers, and Gates and his friends spent almost all their time on the computers trying to get the maximum, or even more, out of the machines.

Lakeside Programmers Group was formed in 1968 at Lakeside upper school, and its members included Gates along with the other Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, who was two years older than Gates. Initially, they tried to develop collaboration with Computer Centre Corporation, but, to their greatest regret, the company discontinued in the spring of 1970. Later on they contacted Information Sciences Inc. and offered free programming services for free use of computers. They designed a payroll program for the company.

Not much later Gates and Allen embarked on the Traf-O-Data project.