$ cat ./records/bill-gates-buys-leonardo-da-vincis-codex-leicester-for-30-8-milli-1994.txt
Bill Gates buys Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Leicester for $30.8 million
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In 1994 Bill Gates paid $30.8 million at a Christie's auction for the Codex Leicester, a 72-page notebook of Leonardo da Vinci's scientific writings and sketches from around 1506-1510, penned in the artist's famous mirror script — one of the most expensive manuscripts ever sold. Rather than lock it away, Gates had its pages digitized, lent it to museums worldwide, and even adapted images from it into a Windows screensaver, reflecting his fascination with one of history's great curious minds.
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Related Accomplishments
1990s
Gates keeps a collection of rare and classic cars
Despite his reputation for frugality in some areas, Bill Gates has long indulged a passion for cars, assembling a collection that has included several Porsches — among them the 911 he has owned for decades and the storied 959 — as well as other classics. His automotive tastes, and the saga of importing the then-illegal 959, are among the more colorful footnotes of his personal life.
1990s
Gates retreats for solitary, twice-yearly 'Think Weeks'
For years Bill Gates retreated twice a year to a secluded cabin for a solitary 'Think Week,' during which he read stacks of papers, books, and employee proposals with no interruptions, emerging with strategic memos that shaped Microsoft's direction. The ritual became famous as a model of deep, focused thinking by a busy executive, and was credited with helping spark major pivots — including Microsoft's embrace of the internet. Gates carried the habit of voracious, deliberate reading into his philanthropy.
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