Alan J. Heeger
A materials pioneer who unlocked the electrical potential of plastics, sparking the revolution in flexible electronics.
Born 1936 (age 90)·American physicist and chemist·Birthday: January 22·The Silent Generation
Biography
Alan Heeger didn't set out to transform material science; he was a physicist probing the fundamental properties of semiconductors. His curiosity led him to a shimmering, metallic-looking film in a colleague's lab—a form of polyacetylene that, when chemically doped, could conduct electricity like a metal. This 1977 discovery, made with Hideki Shirakawa and Alan MacDiarmid, shattered the textbook definition of polymers as inert insulators. The new field of conductive polymers was born, blending chemistry and solid-state physics. The commercial applications were staggering, leading to lightweight batteries, anti-static coatings, and the vibrant displays of modern OLED screens. The 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry crowned this interdisciplinary triumph, validating Heeger's lifelong belief in following the science, wherever its glittering path might lead.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alan was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent 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 Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
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
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Age 90 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 for the discovery and development of conductive polymers.
- Co-discovered that polyacetylene could be made highly conductive through chemical doping.
- Co-founded UNIAX Corporation, a company dedicated to commercializing polymer-based electronic devices.
- His research laid the groundwork for polymer-based light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) used in modern displays.
Did You Know?
He shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Alan G. MacDiarmid and Hideki Shirakawa.
He is one of the few individuals to be a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.
He holds a PhD in physics, not chemistry, from the University of California, Berkeley.
He is the father of David Heeger, a prominent neuroscientist.
“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'”
