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The Haldeman children had lots of downtime in the African bush while on wild adventures with their parents. ©Maye Musk

As a toddler, Musk would often drift off into his own world and ignore those around him. Doctors theorized that he might be hard of hearing and had his adenoid glands removed. ©Maye Musk

Musk was a loner throughout grade school and suffered for years at the hands of bullies. ©Maye Musk

Musk’s original video-game code for Blastar, the game he wrote as a twelve-year-old and published in a local magazine. ©Maye Musk

(From left to right:) Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca at their house in South Africa. All three children now live in the United States. ©Maye Musk

Musk ran away on his own to Canada and ended up at Queen’s University in Ontario, living in a dormitory for foreign students. ©Maye Musk

J. B. Straubel puts together one of Tesla Motors’ early battery packs at his house. Photograph courtesy of Tesla Motors

A handful of engineers built the first Tesla Roadster in a Silicon Valley warehouse that they had turned into a garage workshop and research lab. Photograph courtesy of Tesla Motors

Musk and Martin Eberhard prepare to take the early Roadster for a test-drive. The relationship between the two men would fall apart in the years to come. Photograph courtesy of Tesla Motors

SpaceX built its rocket factory from the ground up in a Los Angeles warehouse to give birth to the Falcon 1 rocket. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

Tom Mueller (far right, gray shirt) led the design, testing, and construction of SpaceX’s engines. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

SpaceX had to conduct its first flights from Kwajalein Atoll (or Kwaj) in the Marshall Islands. The island experience was a difficult but ultimately fruitful adventure for the engineers. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

SpaceX built a mobile mission-control trailer, and Musk and Mueller used it to monitor the later launches from Kwaj. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

Musk hired Franz von Holzhausen in 2008 to design the Tesla Model S. The two men speak almost every day, as can be seen in this meeting in Musk’s SpaceX cubicle. ©Steve Jurvetson

SpaceX’s ambitions grew over the years to include the construction of the Dragon capsule, which could take people to the International Space Station and beyond. ©Steve Jurvetson

Musk has long had a thing for robots and is always evaluating new machines for both the SpaceX and Tesla factories. ©Steve Jurvetson

When SpaceX moved to a new factory in Hawthorne, California, it was able to scale out its assembly line and work on multiple rockets and capsules at the same time. ©Steve Jurvetson

SpaceX tests new engines and crafts at a site in McGregor, Texas. Here the company is testing a reusable rocket, code-named “Grasshopper,” that can land itself. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

Musk has a tradition of visiting Dairy Queen ahead of test flights in Texas, in this case with SpaceX investor and board member Steve Jurvetson (left) and fellow investor Randy Glein (right). ©Steve Jurvetson

With a Dragon capsule hanging overhead, SpaceX employees peer into the company’s mission control center at the Hawthorne factory. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

Gwynne Shotwell is Musk’s right-hand woman at SpaceX and oversees the day-to-day operations of the company, including monitoring a launch from mission control. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

Tesla took over the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (or NUMMI) car factory in Fremont, California, which is where workers produce the Model S sedan. Photograph courtesy of Tesla Motors

Tesla began shipping the Model S sedan in 2012. The car ended up winning most of the automotive industry’s major awards. Photograph courtesy of Tesla Motors

The Tesla Model S sedan with its electric motor (near the rear) and battery pack (bottom) exposed. Photograph courtesy of Tesla Motors

Tesla’s next car will be the Model X SUV with its signature “falcon-wing doors.” Photograph courtesy of Tesla Motors

In 2013, Musk visited Cuba with Sean Penn (driving) and the investor Shervin Pishevar (back seat next to Musk). They met with students and members of the Castro family, and tried to free an American prisoner. ©Shervin Pishevar

Musk unveiled the Hyperloop in 2013. He proposed it as a new mode of transportation, and multiple groups have now set to work on building it. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

In 2014, Musk unveiled a radical new take on the space capsule—the Dragon V2. It comes with a drop-down touch-screen display and slick interior. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

The Dragon V2 will be able to return to Earth and land with pinpoint accuracy. Photograph courtesy of SpaceX

Musk is a nonstop traveler. Here’s a look at one year in his life via records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Musk married, divorced, remarried, and then divorced the actress Talulah Riley. Photograph courtesy of Talulah Riley

Musk and Riley relax at home in Los Angeles. Musk shares the home with his five young boys. Photograph courtesy of Talulah Riley