Alain Decaux
A French historian who brought the drama of the past to life for millions, making history a popular spectacle on radio and television.
1925–2016 (age 91)·French historian·Birthday: July 23·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Alain Decaux made history a national pastime in France. Born in 1925, he possessed a novelist's flair for narrative but a scholar's respect for fact, a combination he unleashed on the airwaves. For decades, his radio program 'La Tribune de l'Histoire' and his television show 'Alain Decaux raconte' held the country captive, as he spun tales of revolutions, monarchs, and everyday people from the past with contagious passion. His approach was theatrical and direct, often speaking to the camera as if sharing a secret, which demystified complex events and built a vast, devoted audience. This popular success was crowned by his election to the prestigious Académie française in 1979, a formal recognition of his role as a guardian and popularizer of the French language and story. Decaux authored dozens of books, but his true legacy is the way he convinced an entire nation that history was not a dry academic subject, but a thrilling, living conversation.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Alain was born in 1925, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alain Was Born
The biggest hits of 1925
#1 Movie
The Gold Rush
Alain's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1925Born
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1930Started school
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1938Became a teenager
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Could drive
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1943Could vote
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Turned 21
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1955Turned 30
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 40
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 50
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 60
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 70
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 80
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
2016Died at 91
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Elected to the Académie française in 1979, one of the highest honors in French letters.
- Created and hosted the landmark television program 'Alain Decaux raconte,' which popularized history for a mass audience.
- Co-founded and hosted the long-running radio program 'La Tribune de l'Histoire' for over forty years.
- Served as France's Minister for Francophony in the early 1990s.
Did You Know?
He was a close friend of fellow historian André Castelot, with whom he frequently collaborated.
Decaux was a staunch defender of the French language and opposed the use of English words in official contexts.
His television shows were famously simple in production, often featuring just him speaking directly to the camera.
“History is not a science; it is a form of resistance.”
