Ann Curry
A journalist whose profound empathy and relentless boots-on-the-ground reporting brought human faces to global crises.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American journalist·Birthday: November 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ann Curry built her career not in the comfortable studio chair, but in the dust and chaos of the world's most dangerous places. She began as a local news reporter in Oregon, her determination quickly evident. At NBC News, she became a cornerstone of 'Today' show coverage, but her heart was in the field. While peers often parachuted in for headlines, Curry stayed, bearing witness to the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, the rubble of the Haiti earthquake, and conflicts from Darfur to Syria. Her reporting was characterized by a raw, visible compassion; she was the correspondent who would kneel to listen, whose eyes would well with tears, making the vastness of tragedy intimately personal. This very empathy, which viewers connected with deeply, sometimes clashed with the more polished morning show format. Her later work with PBS and her own production company continued this mission, focusing on in-depth documentaries about refugees and human rights, cementing her legacy as a journalist who measured her success not in scoops, but in stories told with dignity.
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.
Ann was born in 1956, 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 Ann Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Ann's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
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
1961Started school
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
1969Became a teenager
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
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
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 40
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 50
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 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as a national and international correspondent for NBC News for over 25 years, reporting from countless conflict zones.
- Was a news anchor on the 'Today' show from 1997 to 2011, becoming co-anchor in 2011.
- Her 2010 Twitter appeal for Haiti relief was cited as one of the most influential uses of the platform for disaster response.
- Won multiple Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for her reporting and documentary work.
- Founded her own media production company dedicated to producing documentaries on human rights and social issues.
Did You Know?
She is of Japanese and European descent; her mother was a Japanese war bride.
She began her career as an intern at a TV station in Ashland, Oregon, while still in college.
She is a licensed pilot.
She famously wept on air while reporting on the suffering of children in Darfur in 2006.
““The job of a journalist is not to be a friend or an enemy. It’s to be a truth-teller.””
