Portrait of Ben Cohen (businessman)

Birthday profile

Ben Cohen (businessman)

Ben Cohen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Ben and Jerry's

Born
March 18, 1951
Age in 2026
75
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1951

About Ben Cohen (businessman)

Bennett Cohen (born March 18, 1951) is an American entrepreneur, activist and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's and a prominent supporter of progressive causes. == Early life and education == Cohen was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the town of Merrick, New York, on Long Island by Jewish parents Frances and Irving. He spent at least one summer at Buck's Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp in New Milford, Connecticut. Cohen first met and befriended his future business partner Jerry Greenfield in a seventh grade gym class in 1963. They continued on to Sanford H. Calhoun High School. In his senior year, Cohen found work as an ice cream man before leaving for university studies. He studied at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York; Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he mostly took pottery classes; New York University in New York, New York; and at the University Without Walls program of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts. Over the next decade, Cohen pursued his interest in pottery and dropped out of college after his sophomore year. == Career == === Ben & Jerry's === In 1977, Cohen decided to go into business with his old friend Jerry Greenfield, and in May of the next year, the two men opened Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream Parlor in Burlington, Vermont.

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

Career and life highlights

Ben Cohen (businessman) timeline

  1. Cohen first met and befriended his future business partner Jerry Greenfield in a seventh grade gym class in 1963.
  2. In August 2019, Cohen produced another Bernie Sanders flavor called "Bernie's Back." It was not for sale in stores, but was awarded as a prize to 40 contest winners.

The world when Ben Cohen (businessman) was born

Ben Cohen (businessman) was born in 1951. 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 1951

  • #1 song"Too Young" – Nat King Cole
  • Top movieAn American in Paris
  • Top TV showI Love Lucy
  • Best-selling bookThe Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Round the World"
  • Top headlineI Love Lucy premieres and becomes a cultural phenomenon
  • Technology milestoneFirst commercial computer (UNIVAC I) delivered
  • Defining fadI Love Lucy
  • Notable inventionSuper Glue
  • World population2.59 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonRochester Royals (NBA)
  • U.S. population154.0M

1951 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Ben Cohen (businessman)'s birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19512026
Gas$0.27$3.45/gal
Average home$8,800$435,000
Average income$5,500$67,500
Minimum wage$0.75$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.53$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population154.0M341 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.