Clyde Tombaugh
A self-taught farm boy from Kansas who, armed with a homemade telescope, discovered Pluto and expanded our cosmic map.
1906–1997 (age 91)·American astronomer·Birthday: February 4·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Clyde Tombaugh's story is a testament to relentless curiosity triumphing over formal training. Growing up on a Kansas farm, he built his own telescopes from spare parts and meticulously sketched his observations of Jupiter and Mars. He mailed these drawings to the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, hoping for feedback. Instead, he received a job offer. Hired in 1929 as an assistant, his task was the painstaking, eye-straining search for a theoretical 'Planet X' beyond Neptune. On February 18, 1930, after comparing photographic plates, he spotted a tiny moving dot. That dot was Pluto. His discovery, made at just 24, captured the world's imagination and crowned him the only American to have found a solar system planet. He spent the rest of his career building telescopes and surveying the skies, his legacy forever written in the distant, icy reaches of our solar system.
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.
Clyde was born in 1906, 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 Clyde Was Born
The biggest hits of 1906
Clyde's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1906Born
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Started school
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1919Became a teenager
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Could drive
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1924Could vote
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1927Turned 21
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1936Turned 30
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1946Turned 40
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1956Turned 50
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
1966Turned 60
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
1976Turned 70
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 80
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
1997Died at 91
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
Key Achievements
- Discovered the dwarf planet Pluto in 1930 while working at the Lowell Observatory.
- Built his first telescope at age 20 using parts from a farm implement and a salvaged crankshaft.
- Conducted a major astronomical survey that cataloged tens of thousands of galaxies, asteroids, and variable stars.
- His discovery of Pluto initiated the study of the Kuiper Belt, a region now known to contain countless icy bodies.
Did You Know?
He was offered a scholarship to study astronomy at the University of Kansas only after he had already discovered Pluto.
A small portion of his ashes are aboard the New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in 2015.
He discovered several star clusters and asteroids in addition to Pluto during his career.
“I have actually had the experience of finding a new world. That's a rare thing.”
