When Bill Gates was asked to bring 'something interesting' to school, he got a cow lung. What happened next

Over the years, Bill Gates has authored several books addressing critical global issues.

A recent video shared by Bill Gates has left viewers divided between amazement and disgust as the tech billionaire reminisced about a childhood experiment involving a cow lung. The clip, released to promote his memoir Source Code, delves into Gates' fourth-grade experience of bringing a cow lung to school for a show-and-tell activity.

Recalling the incident, Gates shared how his teacher had asked the students to bring something "interesting" for show-and-tell. After discussing it with his father, Gates took up an unusual suggestion. "My dad said, ‘We could go to the slaughterhouse and get a cow lung,’ and I thought that was a great idea," Gates revealed.

The young Gates accompanied his father to the slaughterhouse, picked up the organ, and wrapped it in a white sheet to take to school. Upon unveiling the cow lung in his classroom, his classmates reacted with a mix of fascination and revulsion. Gates performed experiments on the organ, using it to demonstrate how lungs work. "When I unwrapped it, it was a mixture of awe and disgust. Yeah, I actually didn’t use gloves," he admitted in the video.

Gates recreated the experiment in the video, this time donning gloves as he handled the organ. He humorously recounted how one of his classmates fainted during his original demonstration. Reflecting on his teacher’s reaction, he recalled her saying, “Hey, that was great, but get that thing out of here.” Gates described the experiment as a “big hit” among his peers at the time.

The video served as a promotional piece for Source Code, Gates’ first memoir, which he says shares stories from his childhood and the early days of Microsoft. In the memoir, Gates reflects on the experiences, lessons, and relationships that shaped his life and career.

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According to GatesNotes, his personal blog, Source Code details the foundation of his life, exploring key moments that defined his journey from a curious child to a global tech icon. The memoir also highlights his vision and the choices that steered his professional and personal development.

Gates, who co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975 after dropping out of Harvard, has become one of the most influential figures in technology and philanthropy. He stepped down from Microsoft’s board in 2020 and has since focused on global challenges such as climate change, health crises, and technology-driven solutions.

At the time of stepping down, Gates owned around 1.3% of Microsoft’s shares. By 2022, his philanthropic efforts had led him to donate billions in Microsoft shares to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, reducing his ownership to less than 1%.

Over the years, Gates has authored several books addressing critical global issues, including pandemics, climate change, and technological advancements. However, Source Code marks his first foray into a deeply personal account, providing a glimpse into the man behind the achievements.

"When my teacher said 'bring something interesting' for show-and-tell, I don’t think she expected a cow lung," Gates wrote in the caption of the video. "It’s just one of many stories from my childhood that I share in my new memoir, Source Code."