51 Facts About Paul Allen

1.

Paul Gardner Allen was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist.

2.

Paul Allen is best known for co-founding Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which helped spark the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s.

3.

Paul Allen quit from day-to-day work at Microsoft in early 1983 after a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, remaining on its board as vice-chairman.

4.

Paul Allen had a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio, including technology and media companies, scientific research, real estate holdings, private space flight ventures, and stakes in other sectors.

5.

Paul Allen owned the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, and was part-owner of the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer.

6.

Paul Allen founded the Paul Allen Institutes for Brain Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Cell Science, as well as companies like Stratolaunch Systems and Apex Learning.

7.

Paul Allen received numerous awards and honors, and was listed among the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2007 and 2008.

8.

Paul Allen died of septic shock related to cancer on October 15,2018, at the age of 65.

9.

Gates and Paul Allen joined with Ric Weiland and Gates' childhood best friend and first collaborator, Kent Evans, to form the Lakeside Programming Club and find bugs in Computer Center Corporation's software, in exchange for extra computer time.

10.

In 1972, after Evans' sudden death due to a mountain climbing accident, Gates turned to Paul Allen for help finishing an automated class scheduling system for Lakeside.

11.

Paul Allen achieved a perfect SAT score of 1600 and went to Washington State University, where he joined the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity.

12.

Paul Allen dropped out of college after two years to work as a programmer for Honeywell in Boston near Harvard University where Gates was enrolled.

13.

Paul Allen convinced Gates to drop out of Harvard in order to found Microsoft.

14.

Microsoft committed to delivering a disk operating system to IBM for the original IBM PC in 1980, although they had not yet developed one, and Paul Allen spearheaded a deal for Microsoft to purchase QDOS written by Tim Paterson who was employed at Seattle Computer Products.

15.

Paul Allen effectively left Microsoft in 1982 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, though he remained on the board of directors as vice chairman.

16.

Gates reportedly asked Paul Allen to give him some of his shares to compensate for the higher amount of work that Gates was doing.

17.

Paul Allen resigned from his position on the Microsoft board of directors on November 9,2000, but he remained as a senior strategy advisor to the company's executives.

18.

Marion Blakey, Mike Melvill, Richard Branson, Burt Rutan, Brian Binnie and Paul Allen following first flight.

19.

Paul Allen confirmed that he was the sole investor behind aerospace engineer and entrepreneur Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne suborbital commercial spacecraft on October 4,2004.

20.

On December 13,2011, Paul Allen announced the creation of Stratolaunch Systems, based at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

21.

Paul Allen was instrumental in the development and funding of the Moda Center, the arena where the Blazers play.

22.

Paul Allen purchased the arena on April 2,2007, and stated that this was a major milestone and a positive step for the franchise.

23.

The Paul Allen-owned Trail Blazers reached the playoffs 19 times including the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992.

24.

Paul Allen purchased the NFL's Seattle Seahawks in 1997 from owner Ken Behring, who had attempted to move the team to southern California the previous year.

25.

Paul Allen received commendations for his philanthropic commitments including the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and Inside Philanthropy's "Philanthropist of the Year".

26.

The Paul Allen Institute is helping to advance and shape the White House's BRAIN Initiative as well as the Human Brain Project.

27.

Paul Allen launched the Paul Allen Distinguished Investigators Awards in 2010 to support scientists pursuing early-stage research projects who often have difficulty securing funding from traditional sources.

28.

The Paul Allen's flower fly was named in recognition of his contributions to Dipterology.

29.

Paul Allen began supporting the University of British Columbia's Sea Around Us Project in 2014 to improve data on global fisheries as a way to fight illegal fishing.

30.

Paul Allen funded the Global FinPrint initiative, launched in July 2015, a three-year survey of sharks and rays in coral reef areas.

31.

Paul Allen backed Washington state initiative 1401 to prohibit the purchase, sale and distribution of products made from 10 endangered species including elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, marine turtles, pangolins, sharks and rays.

32.

Paul Allen funded the building of microgrids, which are small-scale power grids that can operate independently, in Kenya, to help promote reusable energy and empower its businesses and residents.

33.

Paul Allen was an early investor in the Mawingu Networks, a wireless and solar-powered Internet provider which aims to connect rural Africa with the world, and Off Grid Electric, a company focused on providing solar energy to people in emerging nations.

34.

The site highlighted organizations working to stop Ebola that Paul Allen supported, such as International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Partners in Health, UNICEF and World Food Program USA.

35.

Paul Allen established non-profit community institutions to display his collections of historic artifacts.

36.

Paul Allen loaned out more than 300 pieces from his private art collection to 47 different venues.

37.

In 2015, Paul Allen founded the Seattle Art Fair, a four-day event with 60-plus galleries from around the world including the participation of the Gagosian Gallery, David Zwirner.

38.

In 2016, Paul Allen pledged a $10 million donation over four years for the creation of the Paul Allen Discovery Centers at Tufts University and Stanford University.

39.

Paul Allen's family put the home on the market for $56 million after his death.

40.

Paul Allen received his first electric guitar at the age of sixteen, and was inspired to play it by listening to Jimi Hendrix.

41.

In 2000, Paul Allen played rhythm guitar on the independently produced album Grown Men.

42.

The ship is known for its annual celebrity-studded parties which Paul Allen hosted at the Cannes film festival, where Paul Allen and his band played for guests.

43.

Paul Allen owned Tatoosh, one of the world's 100 largest yachts.

44.

The book recounts how Paul Allen became enamored with computers at an early age, conceived the idea for Microsoft, recruited his friend Bill Gates to join him, and launched what would become the world's most successful software company.

45.

Paul Allen was diagnosed with Stage 1-A Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1982.

46.

Paul Allen's cancer was successfully treated by several months of radiation therapy, Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2009.

47.

Paul Allen had responsibility for overseeing the execution of his will and settling his affairs with tax authorities and parties with an interest in his projects.

48.

Paul Allen was honored by his early business partner and lifelong friend Bill Gates, who said in a statement:.

49.

Paul Allen loved life and those around him, and we all cherished him in return.

50.

Paul Allen deserved much more time, but his contributions to the world of technology and philanthropy will live on for generations to come.

51.

Paul Allen received numerous awards in many different areas, including sports, technology, philanthropy, and the arts:.