His parents, Alwi Abdul Jalil Habibie,[6][7] an agriculturist from ethnic Bugis-Gorontalese descent,[3][4][6][8][9][10] from Gorontalo, and R. A. Tuti Marini Puspowardojo,[11] a Javanese noblewoman from Yogyakarta,[12] who met while studying in Bogor.

[15][16] In addition, it was proposed that State University of Gorontalo be renamed in honour of Habibie although in the end, the suggestion was not adopted.

[22] Habibie later found employment with the railway stock firm Waggonfabrik Talbot, where he became an advisor in designing train wagons.

[24][23] In 1965, Habibie delivered his dissertation in aerospace engineering and received the grade of "very good," giving him the title Doktoringenieur (Dr.-Ing.).

His thesis about light construction for supersonic or hypersonic states also attracted offers of employment from companies such as Boeing and Airbus, which Habibie again declined.

Habibie initially served as a special assistant to Ibnu Sutowo, chief executive officer of the state oil company Pertamina and Chair of Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (Indonesian: Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi, BPPT).

In 1978, he was appointed as state minister of research and technology (Indonesian: Menteri Negara Riset dan Teknologi, Menristek).

[28] In this method, elements such as basic research became the last things upon which to focus, whilst actual manufacturing of the planes was placed as the first objective.

By 1991, Habibie oversaw ten state-owned industries including ship- and train building, steel, arms, communications, and energy.

[33] In that year, in the midst of the Asian Financial Crisis, this suggestion was received badly, causing the rupiah to fall.

Within days of his appointment, he asked his relatives to resign from government positions, promised an early election, repealed some legislation, and ordered the release of political prisoners.

[37] In late 1998, John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, sent a letter to Habibie suggesting that Indonesia defuse the East Timorese issue by providing autonomy to be followed by the promise of a referendum in the long run, following the method used by France to settle New Caledonian demands for independence.

Subsequently, pro-Indonesian militias killed and displaced large numbers of people during the 1999 East Timorese crisis.

However, Tommy was found innocent in the case after several key witnesses, including Habibie aide Rahardi Ramelan, changed their testimony and declared that the deal did not cause losses to the state.

[43] Habibie's government stabilized the economy in the face of the Asian financial crisis and the chaos of the last few months of Suharto's presidency.

In September 1998, Habibie issued a 'Presidential Instruction' forbidding use of the terms pribumi and non-pribumi to differentiate indigenous and non-indigenous Indonesians.

[46] Under Habibie, Indonesia made significant changes to its political system that expanded competition and freedom of speech.

Shortly after taking office, in June 1998, Habibie's government lifted the Suharto-era restriction on political parties and ended censorship by dissolving the Information Ministry.

These laws set elections for December 1999, reduced the number of seats in parliament held by the military, and barred political activity by civil servants.

The laws resulted in indirect elections for mayors and regents, and allowed local legislatures to hold said executives accountable, though it was not implemented until after his presidency.

[47] Habibie faced opposition from many within the government party, Golkar; in July 1998, he struggled to win control of Golkar by appointing Akbar Tandjung as chair of the party, but was ultimately able to defeat a rival camp including former vice president Try Sutrisno, defense minister Edi Sudradjat, Siswono Yudo Husodo, and Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

[50] Habibie began to lose support from Akbar Tandjung and a faction in Golkar, composed of both reformers and hardliners, that wanted to oust him.

In March 1999, Golkar put forth five presidential nominees: Habibie, Tandjung, Wiranto, Hamengkubuwono X, and Ginandjar Kartasasmita.

In the book, he controversially accused Lieutenant General Prabowo Subianto, Suharto's son-in-law (at that time) and the Kostrad Commander, of planning a coup d'état against him in May 1998.

[69] On 12 September 2019, a video was released showing East Timor's former president, Xanana Gusmão, visiting Habibie in hospital on 22 July 2019.

A wreath in Gusmão's name was at the funeral, with a sign reading: "Profound Condolences - With heartfelt sympathy for the loss of Big Brother President B.J.

[75] In 2010, Habibie was honored with an Honorary PhD degree in Technology by the University of Indonesia for his contribution to science in practice as a technocrat.