Alan Lightman
A physicist who bridges the cosmos and the human heart, using the clarity of science to explore our deepest existential questions in prose.
Born 1948 (age 78)·American physicist, writer, and novelist·Birthday: November 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alan Lightman possesses a rare dual citizenship in the realms of rigorous science and lyrical literature. Trained as a theoretical astrophysicist, with a PhD from Caltech and stints researching black holes and radiation processes, he made a conscious turn toward the humanities. At MIT, he became the first professor to receive a joint appointment in science and writing. His 1992 novel 'Einstein's Dreams' became a surprise international phenomenon, imagining the great physicist's reveries about time in a series of poetic vignettes. This work established Lightman's signature mode: using scientific concepts as metaphors to probe memory, mortality, and meaning. A committed essayist and social entrepreneur, he also founded the Harpswell Foundation to empower women leaders in Southeast Asia, demonstrating a life dedicated to both the inner and outer universe.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alan was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
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
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
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
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Wrote the bestselling novel 'Einstein's Dreams,' a pioneering work of scientific fiction translated into over 30 languages.
- Became the first professor at MIT to receive a joint faculty appointment in the sciences and the humanities.
- Founded the Harpswell Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to housing and educating young women leaders in Cambodia.
- Authored influential scientific papers on astrophysical phenomena before turning to mainstream writing.
Did You Know?
He built a small astronomy laboratory in the attic of his home as a teenager in Memphis.
His undergraduate degree from Princeton is in physics, but he also took every creative writing course offered.
He is a frequent contributor to The Atlantic, Harper's, and The New Yorker.
Lightman is an accomplished sailor and has written about his experiences on the water.
““We are collections of atoms, temporary structures, and yet we feel.””
