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Richard Stallman

Richard Stallman

Born 1953 · Age 72

American programmer and activist; founder of the GNU Project and Free Software Foundation; author of the GNU General Public License; pioneer of the free software movement and the concept of copyleft.

Total Events
75
Career Span
71 years

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Life & Career Timeline

1953Age 0

Born in New York City

Richard Matthew Stallman was born to Daniel Stallman and Alice Lippman in Manhattan, New York.

3/16/1953Source
Confidence
99%
1967Age 14

Attended Columbia University Saturday program

Attended Columbia University Saturday program for high school students (1967–1969).

1/1/1967Source
Confidence
90%
1969Age 16

Early interest in computers; read IBM 7094 manuals

As a pre-teen/young teen he read manuals for the IBM 7094 at summer camp, sparking early interest in computing.

1/1/1969Source
Confidence
85%
1970Age 17

Summer job at IBM New York Scientific Center

Hired after high-school senior year to write a numerical analysis program in Fortran; later wrote a text editor in APL and a PL/I preprocessor on the IBM System/360.

6/1/1970Source
Confidence
95%
1970Age 17

Matriculated at Harvard University

Began undergraduate studies at Harvard; known for strong performance in Math 55 in first year.

9/1/1970Source
Confidence
95%
1971Age 18

Started at MIT AI Lab as programmer

Became a programmer at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory while a first-year at Harvard; became part of the hacker community and used the handle 'rms'.

6/1/1971Source
Confidence
98%
1974Age 21

Graduated Harvard magna cum laude (B.A. Physics)

Received a bachelor's degree in physics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University.

6/1/1974Source
Confidence
99%
1974Age 21

Enrolled in MIT graduate physics program (left after one year)

Enrolled as a graduate student in physics at MIT but left the program after about a year to focus on programming at the MIT AI Lab.

9/1/1974Source
Confidence
90%
1975Age 22

Research assistant under Gerry Sussman

Worked as a research assistant at MIT under Gerry Sussman beginning around 1975.

1/1/1975Source
Confidence
90%
1976Age 23

Created the first extensible Emacs (original Emacs)

Developed the Emacs family (the extensible, customizable editor) for the ITS operating environment; this early Emacs influenced later GNU Emacs.

1/1/1976Source
Confidence
95%
1977Age 24

Password decryption campaign at MIT LCS

When the Lab for Computer Science installed password controls, Stallman found a way to decode passwords and encouraged users to remove them to restore open access.

1/1/1977Source
Confidence
80%
1977Age 24

Published paper on dependency-directed backtracking

Co-authored (with Gerald Sussman) an influential paper on an AI truth maintenance system (dependency-directed backtracking), introducing constraint recording.

1/1/1977Source
Confidence
95%
1980Age 27

Refused source for Xerox 9700 laser printer; convinced of need for modifiable software

Denied access to source code for a new lab printer (Xerox 9700); inability to add features convinced Stallman of the importance of user freedom to modify software.

1/1/1980Source
Confidence
95%
1982Age 29

Cloned Symbolics code to prevent monopoly

Worked by himself (1982–end of 1983) to replicate the output of Symbolics programmers to prevent them gaining a monopoly over lab computers.

1/1/1982Source
Confidence
90%
1983Age 30

Launched the Free Software Movement

By announcing the GNU Project in Sept 1983, Stallman effectively launched the free software movement and set the philosophical foundation for software freedom.

9/1/1983Source
Confidence
98%
1983Age 30

Announced the GNU Project

Announced the plan to develop a Unix-compatible free operating system called GNU on ARPANET mailing lists and Usenet, effectively launching the free software movement.

9/1/1983Source
Confidence
99%
1984Age 31

Implemented 'copyleft' in GNU Emacs license

First implemented the concept of copyleft (using copyright law to preserve user freedoms) in the GNU Emacs license, later generalized in the GPL.

1/1/1984Source
Confidence
95%
1984Age 31

Released GNU Emacs (GNU-specific Emacs)

Developed GNU Emacs as part of the GNU system (GNU Emacs built on the original Emacs work).

1/1/1984Source
Confidence
90%
1984Age 30

Declared to be GNU project's lead architect and organizer

Took lead architect/organizer role for the GNU Project and personally developed core GNU tools such as GNU Emacs, GCC, GDB, and GNU make.

1/1/1984Source
Confidence
98%
1984Age 30

Began working full-time on GNU

Stallman states he began active work on the GNU Project on January 5, 1984; soon after he resigned MIT employment to work on GNU full-time.

1/5/1984Source
Confidence
95%
1984Age 30

Left MIT employment to work on GNU

Quit his salaried position at MIT to work full-time on the GNU Project; remained affiliated as an unpaid visiting scientist.

2/1/1984Source
Confidence
97%
1985Age 32

Published the GNU Manifesto

Published the GNU Manifesto outlining the goals and philosophy of GNU and the free software movement.

1/1/1985Source
Confidence
99%
1985Age 32

Founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF)

Established the Free Software Foundation (501(c)(3) nonprofit) to support GNU development and provide legal infrastructure for the free software movement.

10/4/1985Source
Confidence
95%
1986Age 33

Texinfo original version finished

Completed the original version of Texinfo (his replacement for Scribe) used for documentation; first version finished in 1986.

1/1/1986Source
Confidence
85%
1987Age 34

GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) early releases

Stallman personally developed the GNU Compiler Collection; GCC's initial releases occurred in this period (late 1980s).

1/1/1987Source
Confidence
70%
1989Age 36

Popularized and formalized 'copyleft' via GPL

The GNU General Public License formalized copyleft; Stallman is the principal author of the GPL (most widely used free software license).

1/1/1989Source
Confidence
99%
1989Age 36

Co-founded League for Programming Freedom

Co-founded the League for Programming Freedom to oppose software patents and restrictive practices.

1/1/1989Source
Confidence
95%
1989Age 36

Released program-independent GNU General Public License (GPL)

First program-independent GNU GPL released; Stallman is the main author of the GPL and popularized copyleft.

1/1/1989Source
Confidence
98%
1990Age 37

ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award

Received ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award (listed by multiple sources around 1990–1991) for pioneering work on Emacs.

1/1/1990Source
Confidence
85%
1990Age 37

MacArthur Fellowship awarded

Received the MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant' (year listed on Stallman's site as 1990).

1/1/1990Source
Confidence
95%
1990Age 37

GNU Hurd kernel work begins (project milestone)

Members of the GNU project began using the Mach microkernel as part of GNU Hurd; the kernel project has remained immature for full POSIX compliance.

1/1/1990Source
Confidence
90%
1991Age 38

GNU tools ported to Linux kernel; GNU/Linux becomes widely used

GNU programs were ported to Torvalds' Linux kernel, forming the widespread operating system commonly referred to as Linux (Stallman and FSF advocate 'GNU/Linux').

1/1/1991Source
Confidence
98%
1991Age 38

Linus Torvalds releases Linux kernel (milestone for GNU/Linux)

Linux kernel released by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and combined with GNU components to form the common GNU/Linux operating system; sparked ongoing naming controversy.

1/1/1991Source
Confidence
99%
1991Age 38

Visiting scientist affiliation at MIT (maintained)

Stallman remained affiliated with MIT as an unpaid 'visiting scientist' (sources indicate he held a visiting/scientist role and an MIT office for many years).

1/1/1991Source
Confidence
90%
1992Age 39

Emacs fork (XEmacs) controversy

Developers at Lucid Inc. forked their Emacs work into what became XEmacs after clashes with Stallman, illustrating tensions in the community.

1/1/1992Source
Confidence
90%
1996Age 43

Honorary doctorate (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden)

Received a Doctorate honoris causa from KTH (Royal Institute of Technology).

1/1/1996Source
Confidence
95%
1998Age 45

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Pioneer Award

Received the EFF Pioneer Award (shared recognition; Stallman site lists EFF Pioneer Award in 1998).

1/1/1998Source
Confidence
95%
1999Age 46

Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award

Awarded the Yuri Rubinsky Memorial Award (listed on Stallman's site for 1999).

1/1/1999Source
Confidence
95%
1999Age 46

Proposed GNUPedia (precursor to Wikipedia involvement)

Called for the development of a free online encyclopedia by inviting public contributions; the GNUPedia idea merged into/retired in favour of Nupedia/Wikipedia.

1/1/1999Source
Confidence
95%
2001Age 48

Authored popular essays and speeches on software freedom

Regularly delivered core talks such as 'The GNU Project and the Free Software Movement', 'The Dangers of Software Patents', and 'Copyright and Community'.

1/1/2001Source
Confidence
95%
2001Age 48

Takeda Techno-Entrepreneurship Award (with others)

Received the Takeda Techno-Entrepreneurship Award for Social/Economic Well-Being (2001).

1/1/2001Source
Confidence
95%
2001Age 48

Honorary doctorate (University of Glasgow)

Awarded doctorate honoris causa from the University of Glasgow.

1/1/2001Source
Confidence
95%
2002Age 49

Subject of semiautobiography 'Free as in Freedom'

Sam Williams published 'Free as in Freedom', a biography/semi-autobiography covering Stallman's life and the GNU project (2002).

1/1/2002Source
Confidence
95%
2002Age 49

Published 'Free Software, Free Society' (collection of essays)

A collection of Stallman's essays on free software and its philosophy was published (GNU Press / related releases in 2002).

1/1/2002Source
Confidence
95%
2002Age 49

Elected to U.S. National Academy of Engineering

Elected a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for contributions to software.

1/1/2002Source
Confidence
95%
2003Age 50

Honorary doctorate and professorships (multiple)

Received honorary doctorate from Vrije Universiteit Brussel and an honorary professorship from Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (Peru) in 2003 (per Stallman site).

1/1/2003Source
Confidence
95%
2004Age 51

Honorary doctorate (Universidad Nacional de Salta)

Received an honoris causa doctorate from Universidad Nacional de Salta (Argentina) and honorary professorships in Peru (listed 2004).

1/1/2004Source
Confidence
90%
2006Age 53

Engaged with world leaders and politicians on free software

Obtained supportive statements about free software from figures such as Indian President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, French politician Ségolène Royal, and Ecuador's president Rafael Correa (from meetings and outreach circa mid-2000s).

1/1/2006Source
Confidence
85%
2006Age 53

Advocated against DRM and software patents

Active campaigning against digital rights management, software patents, proprietary formats, activation keys and other restrictions; FSF launched 'Defective by Design' campaign.

1/1/2006Source
Confidence
95%
2006Age 53

GPLv3 consultation and advocacy

During the 18-month public consultation (2006–2007) for drafting GPLv3, Stallman actively participated and explained proposed changes.

1/1/2006Source
Confidence
95%
2006Age 53

Influenced Kerala to adopt free software in schools

Met with Kerala state officials; helped persuade them to replace proprietary software in state-run schools — decision affected ~12,500 high schools.

8/1/2006Source
Confidence
90%
2007Age 54

Honorary recognitions (multiple in 2007)

Several honors including honorary professorships and doctorates in Peru and awards (Premio Internacional Extremadura al Conocimiento Libre, University of Pavia doctorate, etc.).

1/1/2007Source
Confidence
90%
2008Age 55

Honorary doctorate (Universidad Nacional de Trujillo)

Received a Doctorate honoris causa from Universidad Nacional de Trujillo (Peru) in 2008 (listed on his site).

1/1/2008Source
Confidence
90%
2009Age 56

Doctor of Science honoris causa (Lakehead University)

Awarded a Doctor of Science honoris causa by Lakehead University (Canada).

1/1/2009Source
Confidence
90%
2011Age 57

Resigned from teleSUR advisory council

Resigned from the advisory council of Latin American TV station teleSUR in February 2011, criticizing pro-Gaddafi propaganda.

2/1/2011Source
Confidence
90%
2012Age 59

Lemote Yeeloong laptop stolen in Argentina

Stallman's Lemote machine (chosen because it runs free software at BIOS level) was stolen while he was in Argentina.

1/1/2012Source
Confidence
90%
2012Age 59

Multiple academic honors (2012)

Received multiple honorary doctorates and professorships in Peru and other recognitions (several entries listed for 2012).

1/1/2012Source
Confidence
88%
2012Age 59

Used free-BIOS systems and promoted hardware that runs 100% free software

Advocated and used systems like Lemote Yeeloong, ThinkPad X60/T400/X200 with Libreboot and Trisquel GNU/Linux to ensure BIOS and system firmware freedom.

1/1/2012Source
Confidence
90%
2013Age 60

Inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame

Recognized for contributions as creator of the GNU Project and author of the GPL and for philosophical contributions to free software.

1/1/2013Source
Confidence
98%
2013Age 60

Continued global speaking and activism

Throughout the 1990s–2010s Stallman spent most of his time traveling to speak worldwide on free software, civil liberties and related topics; he delivered long-form speeches on core topics translating to multiple languages.

1/1/2013Source
Confidence
95%
2014Age 61

Honorary doctorate (Concordia University, Canada)

Received Doctorate honoris causa from Concordia University.

1/1/2014Source
Confidence
90%
2015Age 62

Honorary doctorate (Universidad las Américas, Peru)

Awarded a doctorate honoris causa by Universidad las Américas in Peru (2015).

1/1/2015Source
Confidence
88%
2016Age 63

ACM Software and Systems Award for GCC

Received The Association for Computing Machinery's Software and Systems Award for development of GCC (GNU Compiler Collection).

1/1/2016Source
Confidence
97%
2016Age 63

Honorary doctorate (Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France)

Received Doctorate honoris causa from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (2016).

1/1/2016Source
Confidence
90%
2017Age 64

Honorary doctorate (Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Argentina)

Received a doctorate honoris causa from Universidad Nacional de Jujuy (2017).

1/1/2017Source
Confidence
88%
2018Age 65

Honorary recognitions (2018)

Received honorary doctorate (Universidad de Tucumán) and honorary professorship (Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Mendoza) in 2018.

1/1/2018Source
Confidence
90%
2018Age 65

Instituted 'Kind Communication Guidelines' for GNU

Introduced 'Kind Communication Guidelines' to help GNU project mailing list discussions remain constructive (2018).

1/1/2018Source
Confidence
90%
2018Age 65

Spoke at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)

Gave a talk (in Spanish) titled 'Free software in ethics and practice' at an event organized by BSC and UPC (June 18, 2018).

6/18/2018Source
Confidence
95%
2019Age 66

Resigned as FSF president and left MIT visiting scientist role

In September 2019, following controversy over comments about the Jeffrey Epstein case, Stallman resigned as president of the Free Software Foundation and left his visiting scientist role at MIT.

9/1/2019Source
Confidence
98%
2019Age 66

Stepped down as FSF president (end of long tenure)

Resigned from the FSF presidency in September 2019 following controversy; he had served as the FSF's nonsalaried president since its founding in 1985.

9/1/2019Source
Confidence
98%
2019Age 66

GNU maintainers publicly challenge Stallman's behavior

A public statement by 33 GNU maintainers in Oct 2019 criticized Stallman's behavior and called for collective decision-making about project organization.

10/1/2019Source
Confidence
95%
2019Age 66

GNU project maintainers request organizational changes

October 2019: 33 GNU project maintainers published a statement asserting Stallman's behaviour had undermined core values and called for GNU maintainers to collectively decide project organization.

10/1/2019Source
Confidence
90%
2021Age 68

Returned to FSF board of directors

Stallman returned to the Free Software Foundation board of directors in 2021 (reinstated to some FSF roles).

1/1/2021Source
Confidence
95%
2021Age 68

Continued leadership of the GNU Project

Although he resigned from the FSF presidency in 2019, Stallman remained head of the GNU Project and continued involvement in GNU governance; returned to FSF board in 2021.

1/1/2021Source
Confidence
95%
2024Age 71

Honorary doctorates (Peru, 2024)

Received doctorates honoris causa from Universidad Nacional de Cañete and Universidad Autónoma del Perú (listed for 2024 on Stallman site).

1/1/2024Source
Confidence
90%