Elon Musk- A Short Biography

Elon Musk- A Short Biography

Elon Musk. You already know him as developing Tesla cars and SpaceX rockets. He is at the pinnacle of deep-space travel with the awaitment of the DM-2 mission. We have not yet seen his full potential. Many people today still do not know the story behind the man.

  Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa on June 28, 1971 to parents Erron and Maye Musk. Maye Haldeman was part of a very famous family, travelling all around the globe in pursuit of archaeological treasures. Erron Musk was one of the most brilliant engineers of his time.

Elon Musk was an opportunistic child. He was a creative mind, memorizing random and strange facts. He spent up to 10 hours a day reading Science Fiction then gradually Non-Fiction (He loved the Encyclopedia Britannica). He built his own computer game at age 12 called Blastar. 

As a child growing up in South Africa, Elon Musk was constantly bullied. Elon Musk, was in fact, hospitalized after he was beaten to nearly death by a gang of boys. He almost blacked out. 

His family life was not good either. His father was known to give excruciating lectures while keeping the kids quiet for hours at a time. He repeatedly persisted in abusing Elon Musk, calling him “stupid” and such. He was even charged with manslaughter for killing three men who came into his home. 

Facing conscription in the South African Army, he moved to Canada to attend Queen’s University. In a close call, he reportedly chose Queen’s University instead of Waterloo University as there weren't any girls! He worked an odd amount of jobs while in Canada. He worked a cousin’s farm in Saskatchewan and threw parties at a clubhouse to raise money. Transferring to Wharton University, 

he obtained double degrees in physics and economics.

He soon left Wharton to go to found Zip2, a company which provided telephone directories for companies to businesses who had no idea of getting onto the internet. People had trouble getting onto the idea, calling it the “dumbest thing they’d ever heard of.” It was soon funded by angel investors such as David Mohr Adventures, until it was acquired by Compaq Computer for $305 million.

He soon invested that money in a new venture, SpaceX. In its early years, it  was plagued with failures. In 2008, his Falcon 1 rocket failed 3 times, while the Tesla was hemorrhaging money. His financial earnings were depleted. A fourth failure would have sealed the deal. A victory call with NASA for a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to send cargo to the ISS sealed the deal.

SpaceX and Tesla have both overcome the odds it faced early on. SpaceX is set for a flight giving the United States the ability to transport astronauts to the ISS for American soil. Tesla has given us retractable plush handles on the Model S sedan. As the future progresses, it will be interesting to see what it beholds for Tesla, SpaceX, and for the creative genius Elon Musk.

P.S. You should read the Ashlee Vance biography for more compr

ehensive details!