**All information is taken from the book Steve Jobs the Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal
Birth Date and Place
Steven Paul Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco, California. Joanne Schieble, who was a 23 year old graduate student, whose parents did not approve of pregnancy before marriage. Schieble, seeking a better life, placed her son up for adoption, but when her original adoptees flaked out, she decided to go with Clara and Paul Jobs. Schieble would only agree to give Steven to them if they agreed to send him to college.
Family Members
Steve Jobs had his adopted parents, Clara and Paul Jobs, as well as an adopted sister named Patty. He had one biological sister, Mona Simpson. He was married to Laurene Powell, and had 3 children; Lisa, Reed, and Erin.
Childhood and School Life
Clara and Paul Jobs wanted the best for their children, so they tried their best to give Patty and Steve the finest things in life. After adopting Steve, they soon realized that he was a very curious child, and also a very challenging one to raise. Once he put a bobby pin into an electrical socket, causing a trip to the emergency room for his burned hand. Steve was five when his father was transferred to Palo Alto from San Francisco. During his younger years, his father taught him how to build things, how to take them apart, and put them back together. Clara also supported her son by teaching him how to read, thus giving him a huge start in school. Although knowing how to read actually dampened his drive in school, for Steve was a very bright student and very bored with nothing to do in class, thus resulting in Steve becoming the class clown. During 1972-1973 Steve entered his first year of college, ultimately choosing Reed College as his choice, threatening his parents that if he couldn’t go there he wasn’t going anywhere, even though the school was out of their price range they obliged.
Hobbies, Interest, and Activities
As a teenager, Steve Jobs always had an interest in science, math and electronics. The summer before his junior year in high school, Jobs worked at a local electronics store. Here he learned the basics for the electronics business. Jobs was not only interested in science and technology, but also in finding himself and a higher power. In college, after reading Diet for a Small Planet, he and his friend Wozniak became committed vegetarians. After Jobs dropped out of college, Jobs got to travel to Germany(through the opportunity of a job with Atari) and New Delhi, with high hopes of finding enlightenment. As Steve grew into a man, his main interest was always electronics, how he could improve them for everyday people in everyday life. Although he did enjoy meditation and Buddhism, Jobs main focus was Apple, and as he grew older, his family. His wife and children and their lives was his interest. Steve Jobs did not have many interest or hobbies if they were not concerned with Apple and the electronics business. Although he did and enjoy to travel and would do so from time to time with his family.
Anecdotes
After Steve met Steve Wozniak in 1971, the two became partners in crime. Jobs’ junior year in high school they conspired to congratulate the graduating class with a special banner. Using a tie-dyed sheet, they drew a realistic hand “displaying the universal sign of disapproval” (page 29) adding underneath, “Best Wishes” signing it “Swab Job” which is a mix of their own initials. Although their plan of action never went through, Jobs who had bragged about the trick to some of his friends, one of them spilled. WHen Wozniak who had dropped out of the University of Colorado the year before had decided to go back to school, only this time at Berkeley. He had heard about a group of pre-computer hackers that had created little devices, called “Blue Boxes”. Jobs and Wozniak decided to sell these for profit. They would sell them for about $4 today. One late night the pair went to meet a potential customer, when the man pulled a gun out on them. At that point Jobs started a new career and “Woz” went back to school.
Career
Steve Jobs created his own career, he started from his own garage. He took ideas from the “Altair”, which was a computer kit that took hours to assemble, but didn’t even work that well once it was put together. With the help of Woz, they were able to come up with a design. To do so they would have to use a new microprocessor designed by Intel, but the Intel chip was out of their price range, so going with a cheaper chip would change their whole plan, forcing every piece of software to be different from those already on the market. After they created circuit boards to sell as profit the pair decided to create their own computer. On April 1,1976, Ron Wayne, Woz, and Steve signed an agreement officially creating the Apple computer. Wayne eventually pulls out, fearing the risk of losing big, if he had stayed, he would have been a billionaire today.
Reason For Fame
Jobs became known, not for his ideas, but what he can do with the unexpected. Jobs profound “comeback” was when he was “fired” as CEO from Apple in 1985. He went and created the NeXT computer company, in which he had complete control of. He built the company from the ground up, and actually turned his money and career around. During this time he also, bought out Pixar animation studios and made a deal with Disney, in which the blockbuster hit Toy Story, Jobs has been credited with this movie.
Later Life
In October of 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but he refused to do anything about it at the time. Finally in July of 2004, after getting much burden from his wife, and with his family in mind, he had surgery, but only to have the cancer reappear in 2008 in which he goes on a waiting list for a liver transplant. Even though he was terribly sick, he still worked hard as normally. In mid 2011, Steve retired from CEO of Apple. He spent the rest of his time at home in bed with his family.
Death
On October 5, 2011 Steve Jobs passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his close family. His last words were “Oh wow, Oh wow, Oh wow”. Steve jobs could have been called crazy or maybe even neurotic, but he had a vision, a vision where computers would make everyday life better for the average man. And like so many before him; his thoughts, ideas, and his vision made everyone around him say “oh wow”.
