Billie Jean King
She wielded a tennis racket as a weapon for social change, shattering the glass ceiling of sports for women and fighting for equal pay.
Born 1943 (age 83)·American tennis player·Birthday: November 22·The Silent Generation
Biography
Billie Jean King won Wimbledon at age 17 with an aggressive serve-and-volley game from the public courts of Long Beach, California. Her victories on the court intertwined with a larger battle. Frustrated by vast pay disparity in tennis, she led a player boycott in 1970 that created the Virginia Slims Circuit and later the Women's Tennis Association. In 1973's 'Battle of the Sexes,' she dismantled Bobby Riggs before a televised audience of millions, a symbolic triumph for gender equality. Off the court, she became the first prominent female athlete to come out as gay, facing immense personal and professional cost. King's life demonstrates using platform and principle to force change.
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.
Billie was born in 1943, 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 Billie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1943
#1 Movie
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Best Picture
Casablanca
Billie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1943Born
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1948Started school
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
1956Became a teenager
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
1959Could drive
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Could vote
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
1964Turned 21
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1973Turned 30
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 40
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 50
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 60
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 70
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 80
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 83 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, including a record 20 Wimbledon titles.
- Founded the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973, unifying women's professional tennis.
- Defeated Bobby Riggs in the historic 'Battle of the Sexes' match in 1973.
- Was a driving force behind the creation of the Virginia Slims Circuit and the push for equal prize money in tennis.
- Became the first woman to be named Sports Illustrated's 'Sportsperson of the Year' in 1972.
Did You Know?
She used a tennis racket given to her as a child, purchased with money she saved from odd jobs.
She is the namesake of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by President Barack Obama.
She is a founding member of the Women's Sports Foundation.
“Pressure is a privilege.”
