Ariel Durant
The quiet, indispensable force behind an eleven-volume history of civilization, who worked for decades in the shadow of her famous husband.
1898–1981 (age 83)·American historian·Birthday: May 10·The Lost Generation
Biography
Ariel Durant's life was a testament to intellectual partnership. Born Chaya Kaufman in Ukraine, she immigrated to New York as a child. At just fifteen, she became a student of, and then married, her teacher Will Durant. What began as her secretarial assistance on his early projects evolved into a full collaboration. For nearly half a century, she was the researcher, editor, and co-writer of the monumental 'The Story of Civilization.' While Will's name often came first, her role was foundational; she provided narrative clarity, deep research, and a crucial humanistic perspective. The final volumes bear her name alongside his as equal authors. Their shared labor was crowned with a Pulitzer Prize in 1968, a public acknowledgment of a private, decades-long dialogue that sought to make the sweep of human history accessible to all.
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.
Ariel was born in 1898, 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 Ariel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1898
Ariel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1898Born
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1903Started school
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Became a teenager
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Could drive
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1916Could vote
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Turned 21
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 30
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 40
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
1948Turned 50
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
1958Turned 60
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 70
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 80
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
1981Died at 83
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
Key Achievements
- Co-authored all eleven volumes of 'The Story of Civilization' with her husband Will Durant, a series that sold millions of copies.
- Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 for the tenth volume, 'Rousseau and Revolution.'
- Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 alongside Will Durant.
Did You Know?
She was only 15 years old when she married the 28-year-old Will Durant, who was her teacher at the time.
Her original name was Chaya; 'Ariel' was a name given to her by Will.
She and Will Durant were the first married couple to win a Pulitzer Prize together.
“We have loved each other for sixty-eight years, and we have worked together for fifty. That is a long time.”
