Did you know that Steve Jobs was biologically half Arab?

Are you keen to learn more interesting facts about Steve Jobs? Don’t worry for you’re in the right place!

The tech genius and the man behind globalizing Apple, Steve Jobs, is a familiar face on the internet. Despite his demise years ago, he continues to be the tech giant. In fact, Jobs is considered as the genius who revolutionized modern technology and the mastermind who emphasized style as much as function in our everyday digital devices.

 

Despite being a familiar and an open book, there are several facts about Steve Jobs that are unknown to a vast majority of the people. Therefore, in this blog, we have compiled 40 unique yet intriguing facts about Steve Jobs that will take you by surprise.

 

1. Steve Jobs was, biologically, half Arab. His biological father was Syrian and his mother was American.
2. His biological parents had one mandate--that Jobs be adopted by two college-educated people. The biological parents found out that neither Clara nor Paul Jobs had ever graduated from college, but the adoption went through when it was promised that Steve Jobs would receive a university education (funny considering that Jobs went on to become a college dropout).
3. Jobs was a pescetarian, meaning he ate no meat except for fish.
4. One class Jobs audited was a calligraphy course, which he says was instrumental in the future Apple products' attention to typography and font.
5. While unofficially attending classes, Jobs struggled to get by. He slept on his friends' dorm room floors, returned Coke bottles for money, and survived off free meals from the local Hare Krishna temple.
6. He had a pretty low GPA--just 2.65. Jobs admitted he never enjoyed school structure and preferred to learn in unconventional ways.
7. He spent seven months traveling around India, experimenting with psychedelic drugs and eventually adopting the practices of Zen Buddhism.
8. Jobs has called experimenting with LSD as "one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life."
9. Jobs stole from partner and co-founder of Apple Steve Wozniak. When the pair first created the Breakout game for Atari, they planned on splitting the pay 50-50. Although Atari gave Jobs $5,000 for the game, Jobs told Wozniak they got $700, leaving Wozniak to take home $350 while Jobs pocketed the other $4,650.
10. Jobs was moved to the night shift when working at Atari due to complaints about his hygiene. He rarely showered and would walk around barefoot in the Atari offices.
11. There was actually a third founder of Apple--Ronald Wayne, who even designed Apple's first logo. Wayne sold his 10 percent stake just two weeks after partnering with Jobs and Wozniak for only $800 (talk about regrets).
12. The original Apple I computer was priced at $666.66. Don't worry, there was no devil worshipping going on--Jobs and Wozniak just wanted the Apple I to cost one-third more than wholesale ($500).
13. Jobs was pushed out of his own company in 1985. Despite the fallout, he later recognized the coup as a blessing in disguise, as it gave him a chance to experiment creatively and purchase an animation studio, which would later be known as Pixar. Eventually he rejoined Apple as CEO in 1997 (and revitalized the failing company).
14. Shortly after being shooed out of Apple, Jobs applied to fly on the Space Shuttle as a civilian astronaut (he was rejected) and even considered starting a computer company in the Soviet Union.
15. Jobs had an illegitimate child, Lisa Brennan, when he was 23, whose paternity he denied for years. Lisa's mother had to use welfare checks to raise her child. Eventually, Jobs did accept Lisa as his legitimate child, and she changed her name to Lisa Brennan-Jobs.
16. Despite initially denying paternity, around the time Lisa was born, Jobs named a new Apple computer the Apple Lisa (although Jobs claimed it simply stood for Local Integrated Software Architecture).
17. While at Apple, Jobs always kept his annual salary at $1. Don't worry, with 5.5 million shares of Apple stock and as the majority shareholder of Disney stock (from selling Pixar), he wasn't quite what you'd call a starving artist.
18. Jobs ended up connecting later in life with his biological sister, Mona Simpson, whom he grew very close with. Both were naturally artistic and shared much in common.
19. The movie Anywhere But Here is based on a book written by Jobs's sister, Mona Simpson. The movie is dedicated to Jobs.
20. Jobs was no philanthropist. In fact, in Apple's early days, he cut the company's philanthropic programs, saying they would return when the company was more profitable. Despite Apple's enormous success, the charitable programs were never reinstated.
21. Jobs had an entire team devoted to packaging who studied the experience of opening a box to learn how to achieve the excitement and emotional response that is now common with Apple products.
22. A well-known egomaniac, Jobs was infamous for being difficult and demanding. In 1993, he held a spot on Fortune's list of America's Toughest Bosses.
23. Jobs was not always friendly with journalists and the media, wanting to retain total control of Apple's impression on the public. Apple even sued teenager Nicholas Ciarelli for his Think Secret blog, where he revealed rumors and secret details about upcoming Apple products.
24. Jobs is listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor for 346 United States patents related to a range of technologies, with most of the patents being for design.
25. Jobs had romantic relationships with Joan Baez and Diane Keaton.
26. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak notes that Jobs never learned how to code.
27. Bill Clinton once invited Jobs to spend the night sleeping in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House.
28. Apple has been ranked No. 1 on Fortune's list of America's most admired companies.
29. Jobs harbored an intense dislike for PCs, and is quoted as saying to one friend, "I'd rather sell dog shit than PCs."
30. He never put license plates on his silver Mercedes (despite driving it constantly). How did he do it? California has a rule that a car owner has six months to put plates on a new car. Jobs just changed cars (to the identical model) every six months, allowing him to drive without plates.
31. Jobs often parked in spots reserved for the handicapped.
32. Jobs originally did not want to offer his products in white, but he was swayed after being introduced to the "moon gray" shade. Pretty surprising considering the iconic clean, white look of Apple products today.
33. Jobs actually served as a mentor for Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, even sharing some of his advisers with the Google duo.
34. Jobs was furious when Google created its Android devices, entering as an Apple competitor in the phone market.
35. Jobs was found to have pancreatic cancer in 2003, but rather than taking the doctor-recommended path of immediate operation, Jobs subscribed to an alternative-medicine regimen, including a vegan diet, acupuncture, and herbal remedies, even consulting a psychic.
36. After nine months, Jobs gave in and underwent surgery. Many consider the delay a major factor in his eventual decline.
37. Apple, Microsoft, and Disney properties (including Disneyland and Disney World) flew their flags at half-staff when Jobs died.
38. His last words on his deathbed were, "Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow," while gazing over his family's shoulders.
39. Tim Cook revealed in a 2014 interview that Jobs's main office and nameplate are still as they were in 2011, when Jobs passed away.
40. Sunday, October 16, 2011, was declared Steve Jobs Day by the governor of California, Jerry Brown.

 

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