Portrait of John Hersey

Birthday profile

John Hersey

John Hersey, American journalist and author (died 1993)

Born
June 17, 1914
Died
March 24, 1993
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Birth year
1914

About John Hersey

John Richard Hersey was an American writer and journalist. He is considered one of the earliest practitioners of the so-called New Journalism, in which storytelling techniques of fiction are adapted to non-fiction reportage. In 1999, Hiroshima, Hersey's account of the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, was adjudged the finest work of American journalism of the 20th century by a 36-member panel associated with New York University's journalism department. William Hersey was one of the first colonizers of Hingham, Massachusetts in 1635. At Briarcliff, he became his troop's first Eagle Scout. It also won the National Jewish Book Award in 1950, the second year after the award was established; and won the Sidney Hillman Foundation Journalism Award.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

John Hersey timeline

  1. William Hersey was one of the first colonizers of Hingham, Massachusetts in 1635.
  2. It also won the National Jewish Book Award in 1950, the second year after the award was established; and won the Sidney Hillman Foundation Journalism Award.
  3. In 1999, Hiroshima, Hersey's account of the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, was adjudged the finest work of American journalism of the 20th century by a 36-member panel associated with New York University's journalism department.

The world when John Hersey was born

John Hersey was born in 1914. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1914

  • Best-selling book"The Eyes of the World" – Harold Bell Wright

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports moment"Miracle Braves" complete greatest comeback in baseball history
  • Top headlineWorld War I begins — Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated
  • Technology milestonePanama Canal opens
  • World population~1.74B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderWoodrow Wilson
  • U.S. population97.2M

1914 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in John Hersey's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19142026
Population97.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.