Michael Rubens Bloomberg was born on February 14, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in nearby Medford. ¹⁾

His middle name, Rubens, was given to him in honor of his maternal grandfather, Ruben Mensinsky. ²⁾

While studying electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg worked as a parking lot attendant to help finance his college tuition. ³⁾

Upon his graduation from Johns Hopkins in 1964, Bloomberg made his very first financial contribution to the university in the amount of five dollars. ⁴⁾

Bloomberg earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1966 before launching his Wall Street career. ⁵⁾

Bloomberg began his professional career at investment bank Salomon Brothers in 1966, starting in an entry-level clerk position before rising to partner. ⁶⁾

In 1981, Bloomberg was fired from Salomon Brothers when the investment bank was acquired by Phibro Corporation, receiving a $10 million severance buyout. ⁷⁾

Using his Salomon severance funds, Bloomberg co-founded Innovative Market Systems in 1981 to build customized financial data computer terminals. ⁸⁾

Bloomberg revolutionized the financial industry by creating the Bloomberg Terminal, delivering real-time financial market analytics directly to traders. ⁹⁾

Bloomberg retains an estimated 88% majority ownership stake in Bloomberg LP, the global financial data and media enterprise he built. ¹⁰⁾

Bloomberg ran for Mayor of New York City in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks, successfully winning election to succeed Rudy Giuliani. ¹¹⁾

A lifelong Democrat, Bloomberg switched his official political registration to Republican in 2001 to run in the NYC mayoral primary election. ¹²⁾

As mayor, Bloomberg focused on restoring New York City's commercial confidence and budget stability following the devastating impacts of September 11. ¹³⁾

In 2002, Bloomberg signed landmark public health legislation banning cigarette smoking inside all New York City bars, restaurants, and workplaces. ¹⁴⁾

Under Bloomberg's administration, New York City became the first major American city to ban artificial trans fats in restaurant foods. ¹⁵⁾

In 2012, Bloomberg proposed a controversial municipal policy limiting the sale of sugary soft drinks larger than 16 ounces in city restaurants. ¹⁶⁾

Bloomberg enacted regulations requiring chain restaurants operating in New York City to prominently display calorie counts on customer menus. ¹⁷⁾

Bloomberg convinced the state legislature to grant City Hall direct control over public schools, establishing charter schools and grading performance. ¹⁸⁾

During his third term, Bloomberg engaged in high-stakes contract negotiations with the United Federation of Teachers over teacher evaluation standards. ¹⁹⁾

Bloomberg oversaw the major urban rezoning of Manhattan's West Side, paving the way for the massive Hudson Yards commercial development project. ²⁰⁾

Bloomberg supported closing sections of Times Square to vehicle traffic, creating permanent pedestrian plazas using real-time taxi GPS traffic data. ²¹⁾

Throughout his tenure at City Hall, Bloomberg governed by the core managerial motto: “If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.” ²²⁾

Bloomberg faced intense public criticism for his administration's expansion of the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policing policy in minority communities. ²³⁾

In 2008, Bloomberg successfully lobbied the New York City Council to alter local term limit rules so he could run for a third consecutive term as mayor. ²⁴⁾

Bloomberg left the Republican Party in 2007, governing as a political independent for the remainder of his second and third mayoral terms. ²⁵⁾

Bloomberg stepped in as chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum board, helping spearhead private fundraising efforts to open the site. ²⁶⁾

In October 2012, Bloomberg led New York City's emergency response and recovery initiatives following the severe flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy. ²⁷⁾

After leaving City Hall at the end of 2013, Bloomberg resumed full leadership as CEO of his global financial media company. ²⁸⁾

Bloomberg co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which expanded into Everytown for Gun Safety, the nation's largest gun violence prevention organization. ²⁹⁾

Bloomberg contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal initiative to help retire coal-fired power plants across America. ³⁰⁾

Through Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg launched the $70 million American Cities Climate Challenge to support sustainability goals in 20 U.S. cities. ³¹⁾

The United Nations appointed Bloomberg to serve as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions. ³²⁾

Bloomberg joined Mark Carney as co-chair of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) to mobilize private climate financing. ³³⁾

In November 2019, Bloomberg officially entered the Democratic presidential primary race, framing his candidacy around administrative competence. ³⁴⁾

Bloomberg spent more than $500 million of his own fortune on political advertisements to publicize his 2020 Democratic presidential primary campaign. ³⁵⁾

During his first primary debate appearance in Nevada, Bloomberg faced sharp criticism from Senator Elizabeth Warren regarding past corporate non-disclosure agreements. ³⁶⁾

Throughout his 2020 presidential run, Bloomberg refused to accept individual campaign donations or political action committee (PAC) contributions. ³⁷⁾

Bloomberg re-registered as a Democrat in October 2018, spending tens of millions to support Democratic congressional candidates in the midterm elections. ³⁸⁾

In 2024, Bloomberg pledged a $1 billion gift to Johns Hopkins University to cover tuition costs for the majority of medical students attending the institution. ³⁹⁾

Bloomberg awarded $600 million in endowment grants through Bloomberg Philanthropies to support the four historically Black medical schools in the United States. ⁴⁰⁾

In 2024, President Joe Biden presented Bloomberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award granted by the United States. ⁴¹⁾

In 2009, Bloomberg was awarded the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service in recognition of his evidence-based public health policies. ⁴²⁾

Bloomberg created Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono philanthropic consultancy that advises municipal leaders on urban policy across the world. ⁴³⁾

Bloomberg has consistently ranked as America's largest individual donor on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual Philanthropy 50 list. ⁴⁴⁾

In the 2025 New York City mayoral election, Bloomberg endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo, citing his crisis management experience. ⁴⁵⁾