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When Steve Jobs pulled a prank on the Pope

When Steve Jobs pulled a prank on the Pope

By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 5 June 2012 13:29 IST

Highlights

In a never-seen-before interview, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs reveals he pulled off a prank call to the Pope, saying he was US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

A never-seen-before interview with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will premiere next month. In the interview, Jobs speaks about how he pulled off a prank call to the Pope, saying he was US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

Jobs was interviewed by journalist Bob Cringely in 1995 for a Channel 4 series titled "Triumph Of The Nerds", the Daily Mail reported.

The Apple founder - who died in October last year after a battle with cancer - speaks about a story when he and friend Steve Wozniak called the Vatican, asking to speak to the Pope to tell him it was Kissinger.

Only when the pair burst out laughing, that Vatican officials realised it was a joke, Jobs says in the interview.

He said they used a "blue box" for the purpose. The device enabled them to imitate tones used for long-distance calls.

Only a few minutes of the original interview were used. The rest has been made into a documentary titled "Steve Jobs - The Lost Interview".

Last year after Jobs' death, Paul Sen, director of "Triumph of the Nerds", went to his garage to look for his VHS version of the interview, the Independent reported.

"I remember being sat in the room at the time and thinking, 'This guy's an amazing interviewee'. He had this amazing charisma. As soon as he walked in the room, we all noticed," Sen said about Jobs.

Cringely said the interview was the most comprehensive and revealing Jobs ever gave.

Jobs speaks about encountering his first computer at 10 or 11 years of age. He called the machine a "mysterious and powerful big box that did something in the background".

"I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think. Computer science should be a liberal art," Jobs said.

Here's a little teaser to whet your appetite.

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Further reading: Apple, Henry Kissinger, Pope, Prank Call, Steve Jobs, The Pope

When Steve Jobs pulled a prank on the Pope

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