Steve Jobs

On February 24, 1955, a boy was born to Abdulfattah Jandali and Joanne Schieble. 

However, Jandali and Schieble wouldn’t raise their child. Since Schieble came from a strict Catholic family who would disown her for having a child with a Muslim man, the pair were forced to give the baby up for adoption.

And so the child was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs, a couple living in Silicon Valley, who named him Steven.

From an early age, Paul tried to pass along his love of mechanics to Steve, who recalls being impressed by his father’s focus on craftsmanship. If the family needed a cabinet, for example, Paul simply would build one, letting Steve help him in the process.

Additionally, the family’s smart yet inexpensive Eichler house – an “everyman” modern home, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and an open floor plan – sparked Steve’s obsessive interest in clean, elegant design.

Later, in high school, Steve Jobs met Steve Wozniak; the two immediately clicked. 

Wozniak was five years older and already a talented computer technician, from whom Jobs learned a lot about computers.

In many ways, Jobs and Wozniak were typical young boys and liked to play pranks. But they also loved to explore the world of electronics and see what they could create. 

Combining both interests, in 1971 they launched their first product: the “Blue Box,” a device that allowed users to make long-distance phone calls for free. 

Wozniak supplied the design and Jobs turned the innovation into a business, taking $40 worth of parts and selling the device for $150. 

The pair sold almost 100 boxes, giving them a taste of what they could do with Wozniak’s engineering skills and Jobs’s vision.