Bill Gates, the American billionaire and chairman of Microsoft Corporation, began reading the Encyclopedia Britannica before he was 9 years old and regarded it as the best reference book. According to Gates, he doesn't like communication, but prefers reading. His so-called entertainment is to eat the Encyclopedia Britannica and sometimes indulge in it. He likes to chew and think. When he meets something he doesn't understand, he will ask his parents or others and never let it go easily. Before Gates 1973 was admitted to Harvard University, he had read through this encyclopedia many times. Gates mentioned Encyclopedia Britannica many times in The Road to the Future, which revealed the secret of Microsoft's success in 1995. Gates, who didn't finish college, regarded him as a lifelong knowledge companion and a guiding light of wisdom; He even declared that "the Encyclopedia Britannica gave me all the useful knowledge". This shows that this encyclopedia has a great influence on Gates.
Al Jacobs, a famous American editor and writer, has spent more than a year reading the complete encyclopedia Britannica with 33,000 pages since 2002 to overcome his midlife crisis, and has written this experience into a book, knowledgeable person: the humble exploration of becoming the smartest person in the world. The subtitle of this book is very long and looks a bit conceited, but it also shows the position of the Encyclopedia Britannica in the eyes of the world. Otherwise, how can you know everything and become the smartest person in the world? Interestingly, a book review in The New York Times said, "knowledgeable person is great because it is shorter than the Encyclopedia Britannica and easy to understand. More importantly, if it falls off the shelf and hits your head, you won't get hurt. " Jacobs read the Encyclopedia Britannica and participated in many activities similar to millionaire tycoon and Mensa's intelligence test, all of which achieved good results. In recent years, he has also published many bestsellers, such as Living Like the Bible and Diary of a Mouse: My Life is an Experiment. In an interview with the British bookseller magazine, he said, "The Encyclopedia Britannica has given me knowledge and wisdom."
Wang is a famous publisher in modern China. He is the general manager of Shanghai Commercial Press. He was an apprentice and received only five years of formal school education. He doesn't have a diploma, and all his knowledge is obtained through self-study. At the age of 20, Wang bought a set of 10 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica with a loan. He studies for two or three hours every day, tirelessly; When he paid off the book three years later, he had read the whole book; He can be described as "well-read, self-taught". It is this encyclopedia that laid a good foundation for Wang to engage in publishing and education in the future. Hu Shi, a famous scholar, wrote in his diary: "Wang is a completely self-taught person with the most reading and knowledge." Hu also praised him as "an encyclopedia with feet". Because of Wang's profound knowledge, he became the first doctoral supervisor after he arrived in Taiwan Province, and enjoyed the title of "Father of Doctor" in Taiwan Province. At the age of 82, Wang himself won the first square hat in his life, that is, the honorary doctor of law degree awarded by Korea Jianguo University; He said at the award ceremony: "It is the Encyclopedia Britannica that has benefited me for life."
The famous writer Qian Zhongshu began to read the Encyclopedia Britannica when he was young, and regarded it as a treasure house of information and a source of knowledge. Later, the concise Chinese version of this encyclopedia was published in China, which gave him considerable attention and support. Qian Zhongshu has an extraordinary ability and never forgets anything; Huang Yongyu, a famous painter, also had many related experiences. In the 1980s, although Qian Zhongshu was old, he still helped a lot: Huang asked him for the textual basis of "Phoenix Nirvana"; Qian asked him to look up the concise Chinese version of the third volume of Encyclopedia Britannica, and Huang found it immediately and solved the problem. Qian Zhongshu's extensive knowledge and strong knowledge are amazing; Encyclopedia Britannica is informative. Qian Zhongshu is called "a living encyclopedia" because of his profound knowledge.
Zhou Haizhong, a famous scholar, saw a set of Encyclopedia Britannica in the library of Sun Yat-sen University with the number 1983. This made him like a duck to water, forgetting to eat and sleep; After teaching, he browsed this encyclopedia in the library to absorb knowledge and broaden his academic horizons. This book laid a good foundation for his later multidisciplinary research. One morning, Zhou Haizhong was absorbed in consulting the astronomy items in the library, but he didn't hear the prompt of closing the door. He was locked in at noon that day. Later, he said humorously, "I read more than two and a half hours and saved a lunch." It's worth reading an encyclopedia! In Zhou's eyes, Encyclopedia Britannica is "a treasure house of knowledge and a good teacher to solve doubts".
He, a famous media host and current affairs critic, is recognized by China people as an expert on international issues. 1986, when the Chinese version of The Concise Encyclopedia Britannica (complete set of * * 10 volumes) was first published in China, He Liangliang took out his pocket and bought a set. From then on, he couldn't put it down and regarded reading encyclopedias as a great pleasure in life. 1988, how to make a living in Hong Kong. In addition to a customs pass, he also took away the set of encyclopedias that he thought were important to him. It can be said that the Encyclopedia Britannica led to the success.