The Real Reason Bill Gates Was Once Arrested

Bill Gates is famous for a few notable reasons. To put it simply, he is the co-founder of "the world's largest software business, Microsoft," as Biography notes, and went on to become one of the richest people in the entire world. That's right: he's a techy legend who is seriously wealthy. He's also a notable philanthropist, as well as someone who surprised the world on May 3 when he announced that he and his wife of 27 years, Melinda, were getting a divorce.

However, it turns out that there's a lot more to Gates than people may have realized, and some facts are rather interesting. For instance, he didn't sign a prenup when he tied the knot (which is pretty wild considering how much money is now in the mix), not to mention the fact that he once rented an unexpected house with his ex-girlfriend.

But wait, there's more! Did you know that Gates has actually been arrested? Indeed, he has faced trouble with the law in the past, and we have the surprising details.

Bill Gates may know what he's doing while he's sitting down in front of a computer, but it turns out that he's not as on top of things when he sits down behind the wheel of a car. That's why he found himself in trouble with the law.

In December 1977, he was apparently arrested for driving without a license and not stopping at a stop sign while in New Mexico, according to BuzzFeed. But The Telegraph revealed that Gates was actually first arrested in 1975 for driving without a license, as well as speeding.

While that's surprising on its own, ARS Technica points out that it looks as if Gates' mugshot from his 1977 arrest could have inspired different Microsoft features — by using the outline of his mugshot to as the "default" image if users don't provide a picture on their own. True or not, that would certainly be an interesting way to turn your legal troubles into inspiration for your business. Hopefully, it also inspired Gates to start carrying his license with him and obeying traffic laws.