Alfred Kinsey
A meticulous biologist who turned the cold light of science on human sexual behavior, shattering Victorian taboos and igniting a cultural revolution.
1894–1956 (age 62)·American scientist·Birthday: June 23·The Lost Generation
Biography
Alfred Kinsey began his career cataloging gall wasps, a pursuit that instilled in him a fanatical devotion to data collection. This same methodical drive, applied to the most intimate human behaviors, would make him one of the most consequential and controversial figures of the 20th century. Frustrated by the lack of scientific information on sex, he launched a vast, relentless survey, training interviewers to gather thousands of sexual histories with clinical detachment. His resulting reports, on male and female sexuality, landed like bombshells, presenting statistics on premarital sex, homosexuality, and extramarital affairs that contradicted every publicly accepted norm. While critics attacked his methodology and morals, Kinsey argued simply for facts over dogma. He didn't just found an institute; he created an entire field of study, forcing a reluctant public to acknowledge the vast, complex gap between private behavior and public morality.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Alfred was born in 1894, placing them squarely in The Lost 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 Alfred Was Born
The biggest hits of 1894
Alfred's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1894Born
President: Grover Cleveland
1899Started school
President: William McKinley
1907Became a teenager
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Could drive
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1912Could vote
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Turned 21
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 30
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1934Turned 40
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 50
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1954Turned 60
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
1956Died at 62
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
Key Achievements
- Founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University in 1947, now known as the Kinsey Institute.
- Authored the groundbreaking studies 'Sexual Behavior in the Human Male' (1948) and 'Sexual Behavior in the Human Female' (1953).
- Developed the Kinsey Scale, a zero-to-six spectrum that challenged the strict binary view of sexual orientation.
- Collected over 18,000 detailed sexual histories through structured interviews, creating an unprecedented database.
Did You Know?
He was an expert on the gall wasp, having collected over 5 million specimens, before turning to human sexuality.
Kinsey and his team developed a highly confidential interview code that used symbols on tiny slips of paper to record responses.
He filmed sexual acts in the attic of his home as part of his research, which was highly controversial even within his institute.
The 2004 film 'Kinsey', starring Liam Neeson, is a biographical drama about his life and work.
“The only unnatural sex act is that which you cannot perform.”
