Bill Gates says a single New York Times column he read in 1997 with the headline "For Third World, Water Is Still a Deadly Drink," pushed him from Microsoft's helm toward global health, launching a drive that has helped cut childhood deaths from diarrhea by more than 70%.
What Happened: Writing on his Gates Notes blog, the billionaire recalls sending the piece to his father with a note, "Maybe we can do something about this," then committing a $40 million grant to vaccine research. That became seed money for what was to evolve into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
