Bill Emmott
A sharp editorial mind who steered one of the world's most influential publications through the turbulent post-Cold War era.
Born 1956 (age 70)·English journalist, author, and consultant·Birthday: August 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bill Emmott's career is a masterclass in the global analysis of power and economics. After joining The Economist in 1980, he cut his teeth as a correspondent in Brussels and Washington before taking the helm as editor-in-chief in 1993. For thirteen years, he shaped the magazine's distinctive voice, guiding its coverage through the dot-com boom, the rise of Asia, and the post-9/11 world. His tenure was marked by a commitment to liberal internationalism and a keen eye for geopolitical shifts, particularly in Japan, a country he has written about extensively. Since leaving the editor's chair, he has remained a prolific author and a sought-after chairman for major international think tanks, translating his editorial authority into strategic influence.
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.
Bill 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 Bill 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
Bill'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 editor-in-chief of The Economist from 1993 to 2006, one of the longest tenures in the magazine's modern history.
- Authored over a dozen books on global affairs, including focused studies on Japan, Europe, and the future of the West.
- Chairs the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a premier global authority on political-military conflict.
- Co-created the documentary feature films 'The Great European Disaster Movie' and 'The Great Japanese Disaster Movie'.
Did You Know?
He is an Ushioda Fellow at Tokyo College, University of Tokyo, reflecting his deep academic engagement with Japan.
He serves as a trustee for Dublin's Chester Beatty Library, a museum renowned for its collection of Asian and Middle Eastern manuscripts.
Before becoming editor, he was The Economist's business affairs editor and later its Washington bureau chief.
“The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made.”
