Charles Krauthammer
A paralyzed medical student who became the sharp, principled voice of American conservatism, winning a Pulitzer for his clear-eyed columns.
1950–2018 (age 68)·American psychiatrist and journalist·Birthday: March 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Charles Krauthammer's life was defined by a radical pivot. A first-year Harvard Medical student, a diving accident left him permanently paralyzed, confining him to a wheelchair. He finished his medical degree, specializing in psychiatry, but his intellect pulled him toward political writing. His incisive commentary, first at The New Republic and then in a syndicated Washington Post column, blended a doctor's diagnostic clarity with a philosopher's depth. He became a defining voice for a generation of conservatives, arguing from first principles with a style that was erudite, witty, and unyielding. His 'Special Report' television appearances turned his wheelchair and his penetrating gaze into symbols of formidable, logical argument.
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.
Charles was born in 1950, 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 Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
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!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
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 50
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 60
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
2018Died at 68
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1987 for his Washington Post columns.
- His weekly political column was syndicated to more than 400 newspapers worldwide.
- Was a regular panelist on Fox News' 'Special Report with Bret Baier' for over a decade.
- Authored the bestselling book 'Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics'.
Did You Know?
He was part of the team that wrote the diagnostic criteria for depression in the DSM-III.
Krauthammer was a champion chess player in his youth.
He initially worked as a speechwriter for Vice President Walter Mondale, a Democrat.
He coined the term 'the Reagan Doctrine' to describe the policy of supporting anti-communist insurgencies.
“The more you think about what you ought to do, the more you are capable of doing it.”
