Who doesn’t know Sony, Honda, Apple Computer, Microsoft today? What do we know about the people who created them? How do geniuses differ from ordinary people? Innate qualities or talent, as is commonly believed? Is nature more important than nurture, and is heredity more important than social factors? It may seem not if you consider the life history of such great people as Edison, Picasso, Einstein. Albert Einstein was the genius scientist of the nuclear age, Pablo Picasso was the most iconic artist of the 20th century, and Thomas Edison was history's most prolific inventor. The similarities in the life experiences and behavioral characteristics of these three titans of progress are striking. This completely separate group of individuals, in addition to common features, also has differences. This and many other interesting things are discussed in the fascinating book “Thirteen Men Who Changed the World” by Jean N. Landrum. Bill Gates will go down in history as the youngest self-made billionaire (at the beginning of 1992, his net worth on the stock exchange was estimated at 7 .4 billion dollars) And as David Bunpel, publisher of PC World magazine, said: “When the history of the microcomputer industry is written, Bill Gates will take a place in it as the guy who wrote the first successful program for mass use." “Y.S. The News and World Report (February 1993) described Gates as “the Rockefeller of our day.”