Bono
A rock star who turned global activism into a core part of his band's identity, using his voice to fight poverty and disease.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Irish musician and activist·Birthday: May 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born Paul Hewson in Dublin, Bono found his stage name and his calling in the post-punk ferment of late-1970s Ireland. As U2's frontman, his soaring tenor and yearning lyrics propelled the band from local heroes to one of the world's biggest acts, with albums like 'The Joshua Tree' and 'Achtung Baby' defining eras. But Bono's ambition stretched beyond the stadium. In the late 1990s, he dove deep into debt relief and the AIDS crisis in Africa, leveraging his celebrity for unprecedented access to world leaders and policymakers. His blend of earnest advocacy and shrewd deal-making, through organizations like DATA and ONE, made him a singular, if sometimes controversial, figure where music, faith, and hard-nosed politics collide.
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.
Bono was born in 1960, 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 Bono Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bono's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
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
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
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
1981Turned 21
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
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the ONE Campaign and (RED), organizations that have mobilized billions for global health and poverty alleviation.
- As U2's primary lyricist and vocalist, has sold over 170 million records worldwide and won 22 Grammy Awards.
- Played a key role in advocacy that helped secure over $100 billion in debt relief for developing nations through the HIPC initiative.
- Awarded the Legion of Honour by France and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.
Did You Know?
He was nicknamed 'Bono Vox' by a friend, from a Latin phrase meaning 'good voice,' later shortened to Bono.
He owns a stake in the private equity firm that controls the parent company of Forbes magazine.
He has been known to sketch during meetings, and some of his drawings have been published.
He and his wife, Ali Hewson, have been together since they were teenagers in secondary school.
“This is really a call to arms. A call to arms to make a fuss about this emergency.”
