Portrait of Zapiro

Birthday profile

Zapiro

Jonathan Shapiro, South African political cartoonist who uses the pseudonym Zapiro

Born
October 27, 1958
Age in 2026
68
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1958

About Zapiro

Zapiro, also known as Jonathan Shapiro, is a South African cartoonist, known as Zapiro, whose work appears in numerous South African publications and has been exhibited internationally on many occasions. He is the nephew of British magician David Berglas and cousin to Marvin Berglas, director of Marvin's Magic. The first Zapiro character was a character named Preppy, whose main characteristic was his fringe, and who commented on issues that went on around school. After his military service he applied for and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York for two years. His illustrations continued to be featured in three more books published in the series, including a revised/updated version of the first volume. At the South African Cartoonists Awards in 2008 he won the Best Humorist Cartoon award.

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

The world when Zapiro was born

Zapiro was born in 1958. 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 1958

  • #1 song"Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno
  • Top movieGigi
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookDoctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentNFL Championship "Greatest Game Ever Played" — Colts vs Giants
  • Top headlineNASA created as the United States enters the Space Race
  • Technology milestoneNASA founded
  • Defining fadHula Hoops — 25 million sold in 4 months
  • Notable inventionHula Hoop
  • World population2.93 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonSt. Louis Hawks (NBA)
  • U.S. population174.1M

1958 versus 2026

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

Measure19582026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,750$435,000
Average income$6,600$67,500
Minimum wage$1.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.68$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population174.1M341 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.