Ariel Sharon
A polarizing military commander turned prime minister who reshaped Israel's borders and politics with unyielding force of will.
1928–2014 (age 86)·Prime Minister of Israel from 2001 to 2006·Birthday: February 26·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born in a Jewish settlement in British Mandate Palestine, Ariel Sharon's life was forged in conflict. He fought in Israel's 1948 War of Independence and rose swiftly through military ranks, becoming known for aggressive, unorthodox tactics. His command during the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kaitch War cemented his reputation as a national hero, though the 1982 Lebanon War and the Sabra and Shatila massacres stained his legacy with controversy. After decades as a political fixture, often as a hardline minister, his dramatic late-career pivot saw him elected Prime Minister in 2001. In a move that shocked his base, he orchestrated Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, splitting his own Likud party to form a new centrist one. His political career was cut short by a massive stroke in 2006, leaving a complex legacy of a warrior who sought to define Israel's final borders through both settlement and disengagement.
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.
Ariel was born in 1928, 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 Ariel Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Ariel's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
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
1944Could drive
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
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
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
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
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 50
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 60
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 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
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
2014Died at 86
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Led the daring crossing of the Suez Canal in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a pivotal moment that turned the conflict in Israel's favor.
- Served as Israel's 11th Prime Minister from 2001 until incapacitated by a stroke in 2006.
- Orchestrated the unilateral disengagement plan, removing all Israeli settlers and military installations from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
- Founded the centrist Kadima party after leaving the Likud, reshaping Israel's political landscape.
Did You Know?
He was born with the surname Scheinerman, which his father later Hebraized to Sharon.
As Minister of Agriculture, he championed a massive afforestation program, planting millions of trees across Israel.
He owned a famous ranch in the Negev desert called Sycamore Ranch.
After his stroke, he remained in a coma for eight years until his death in 2014.
“A leader doesn't consult the polls. A leader determines what is right and does it.”
