Birthday profile

Michael Cobley

Michael Cobley, English-Scottish author

Born
October 10, 1959
Age in 2026
67
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1959

About Michael Cobley

Michael Cobley (born 10 October 1959) is a British science fiction and fantasy author from Glasgow. == Life == Michael Cobley was born in Leicester but moved to Glasgow at the age of seven. While studying engineering at the University of Strathclyde, he used to work as a DJ; at the same time, he wrote rants for the university paper under the pen-name of "Phaedrus". He has published eight novels, a collection of short stories and several reviews and essays. == Writing == Cobley, who is a member of the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers Circle, said he was influenced by writers such as Frank Herbert, David Brin, Iain Banks, Ken MacLeod and Vernor Vinge, but also by music (Dmitri Shostakovich, Yes, Blue Öyster Cult, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Monster Magnet) and TV shows (Firefly, Babylon 5, the most recent series of Battlestar Galactica). Cobley published his first novel, Shadowkings, in 2001 for Earthlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. He completed the "Shadowkings" trilogy with Shadowgod (2003) and Shadowmasque (2005), which was nominated for the British Fantasy Society's best novel award. Cobley then began writing a space opera series, "Humanity's Fire". It encompasses five novels as of 2018. The first volume, Seeds of Earth, was published in 2009 by Orbit Books.

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

Michael Cobley timeline

  1. Cobley published his first novel, Shadowkings, in 2001 for Earthlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
  2. The first volume, Seeds of Earth, was published in 2009 by Orbit Books.

The world when Michael Cobley was born

Michael Cobley 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 Michael Cobley'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, 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.