Adam Lanza
A deeply troubled young man who carried out the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, a tragedy that reshaped America's gun debate.
1992–2012 (age 20)·American mass murderer·Birthday: April 22·Millennials
Biography
Adam Lanza's name is etched into American history as the perpetrator of an act of violence that shattered a sense of safety. His life was marked by profound isolation and severe, untreated mental health issues, described by those who knew him as painfully withdrawn and obsessed with mass violence. On a December morning, after killing his mother at home, he drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire in classrooms, murdering twenty young children and six educators before taking his own life. The sheer horror of the attack, targeting first-graders, sent shockwaves through the nation and ignited a persistent, fierce political struggle over gun control and mental health services. His actions left a community in perpetual grief and became a grim reference point in the ongoing epidemic of mass shootings.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Adam was born in 1992, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Adam Was Born
The biggest hits of 1992
#1 Movie
Aladdin
Best Picture
Unforgiven
#1 TV Show
60 Minutes
Adam's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1992Born
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1997Started school
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2005Became a teenager
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2008Could drive
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2010Could vote
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2012Died at 20
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Did You Know?
He was reportedly an exceptionally intelligent child who was accelerated in school.
He maintained a spreadsheet documenting mass shootings.
He was homeschooled for a period and attended Western Connecticut State University briefly.
Investigators found an extensive collection of violent video games and materials related to previous shootings in his home.
“I am the shooter in Newtown.”
