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Koichi Tanaka

Koichi Tanaka, Japanese chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate

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Born
August 3, 1959
Age in 2026
67
Zodiac sign
Leo
Birth year
1959

About Koichi Tanaka

Koichi Tanaka is a Japanese electrical engineer who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002 for developing a novel method for mass spectrometric analyses of biological macromolecules with John Bennett Fenn and Kurt Wüthrich. In 2009, it was selected for the FIRST Program, Development of Next-Generation Mass Spectrometry Systems and Contributions to Drug Discovery and Diagnosis, which provided about 4 billion yen over five years. The research originated from work awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002, though the initial methods lacked sufficient sensitivity for medical applications.

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

Koichi Tanaka timeline

  1. The research originated from work awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002, though the initial methods lacked sufficient sensitivity for medical applications.
  2. In 2009, it was selected for the FIRST Program, Development of Next-Generation Mass Spectrometry Systems and Contributions to Drug Discovery and Diagnosis, which provided about 4 billion yen over five years.

The world when Koichi Tanaka was born

Koichi Tanaka was born in 1959. 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 1959

  • #1 song"Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin
  • Top movieBen-Hur
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookGoldfinger – Ian Fleming

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentIngemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson for heavyweight title
  • Top headlineAlaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th US states
  • Technology milestoneMicrochip (integrated circuit) invented
  • Defining fadBarbie dolls
  • Notable inventionBarbie doll
  • World population2.98 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population177.1M

1959 versus 2026

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

Measure19592026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,400$435,000
Average income$7,000$67,500
Minimum wage$1.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population177.1M341 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. 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.