Portrait of Matthew Barzun

Birthday profile

Matthew Barzun

Matthew Barzun, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom

Born
October 23, 1970
Age in 2026
56
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1970

About Matthew Barzun

Matthew Winthrop Barzun is an American businessman, diplomat and political fundraiser who served as United States Ambassador to Sweden from 2009 to 2011, and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2017. He is a business executive who is known for his work with CNET Networks and for his fundraising work on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. He was selected by President Barack Obama as National Finance Chair for the president's 2012 re-election campaign. He is author of The Power of Giving Away Power from Optimism Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Barzun co-founded Tortoise Media in 2018 with James Harding and Katie Vanneck-Smith. In partnership with the Swedish government, he also created the Swedish American Green Alliance where Swedes and Americans share news and ideas toward a clean energy future. Upon his return to the United States, he received the Marshall Medal from the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission created by the British Parliament for his dedication to strengthening U.S. and British relations.

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

The world when Matthew Barzun was born

Matthew Barzun was born in 1970. 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 1970

  • #1 song"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel
  • Top moviePatton
  • Top TV showMarcus Welby, M.D.
  • Best-selling bookLove Story – Erich Segal

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentPelé leads Brazil to 3rd World Cup title in Mexico
  • Top headlineThe Beatles officially break up
  • Technology milestoneFloppy disk invented by IBM
  • Defining fadBell-bottom pants
  • Notable inventionFloppy disk
  • World population3.70 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRichard Nixon
  • Sports championBaltimore Orioles (World Series)
  • Also wonNew York Knicks (NBA)
  • U.S. population205.1M

1970 versus 2026

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

Measure19702026
Gas$0.36$3.45/gal
Average home$17,000$435,000
Average income$11,400$67,500
Minimum wage$1.60$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.55$11.95
Postage stamp$0.06$0.73
Population205.1M341 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.