Barry Commoner
A biologist who sounded the early alarm on environmental crisis, he connected the dots between pollution, profit, and public health.
1917–2012 (age 95)·American ecologist·Birthday: May 28·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Barry Commoner was a scientist who refused to stay in the lab. In the 1950s, while studying the effects of nuclear fallout on children's teeth, he grasped a fundamental truth: the environment was a single, interconnected system, and human technology was breaking it. He became a fierce public intellectual, translating complex ecology into a powerful political argument. His 1971 book 'The Closing Circle' laid out his four laws of ecology: everything is connected to everything else; everything must go somewhere; nature knows best; there is no such thing as a free lunch. He linked issues like smog, detergent pollution, and radioactive waste to flawed industrial practices, arguing that the profit-driven misuse of technology was the root cause. Though his 1980 presidential run on the Citizens Party ticket was symbolic, his work was profoundly practical, helping to forge the modern environmental movement by insisting that science demanded social and economic change.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Barry was born in 1917, placing them squarely in The Greatest 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 Barry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1917
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Barry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1917Born
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Started school
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1930Became a teenager
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1933Could drive
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1935Could vote
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1938Turned 21
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
1947Turned 30
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 40
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 50
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 60
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
1987Turned 70
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 80
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2012Died at 95
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- His research on radioactive strontium-90 in children's teeth provided key evidence leading to the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
- Authored the seminal book 'The Closing Circle' (1971), which popularized the foundational laws of ecology.
- Founded the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems to study environmental problems from an interdisciplinary perspective.
- Ran as the Citizens Party candidate in the 1980 U.S. presidential election, putting environmental issues on the national ballot.
Did You Know?
He was on the cover of Time magazine's February 2, 1970, issue.
Commoner was a senior editor of 'Science Illustrated' magazine early in his career.
He helped establish the first air pollution monitoring system in St. Louis.
He was a vocal critic of the Green Revolution's reliance on chemical fertilizers.
““The first law of ecology: Everything is connected to everything else.””
