Colin Blakemore
A visionary neuroscientist who mapped how the brain sees, fiercely defended animal research, and brought the wonders of the mind to the public.
1944–2022 (age 78)·British neurobiologist·Birthday: June 1·The Silent Generation
Biography
Colin Blakemore was a towering figure in British science, a researcher who dedicated his life to unraveling the brain's secrets and a communicator who insisted the public had a right to understand them. His pioneering work at Oxford and Cambridge focused on neuroplasticity, demonstrating how the visual cortex wires itself in response to experience in early life. As Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, he championed open science and robust funding. Blakemore became a household name through television and radio, his clear, passionate explanations making neuroscience accessible. This public profile came at a cost; his unwavering support for carefully regulated animal research made him a target for extremists, leading to letter bombs and death threats. He faced this hostility with unshakeable principle, arguing that the moral imperative to alleviate human suffering justified the work.
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.
Colin was born in 1944, 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 Colin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1944
#1 Movie
Going My Way
Best Picture
Going My Way
Colin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1944Born
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1949Started school
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1957Became a teenager
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Could drive
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
1962Could vote
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Turned 21
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
1974Turned 30
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
1984Turned 40
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 50
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 60
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 70
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2022Died at 78
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Key Achievements
- Served as Chief Executive of the British Medical Research Council (MRC) from 2003 to 2007.
- His early research provided key evidence for cortical plasticity in the developing visual system.
- Awarded the Royal Society's Michael Faraday Prize for excellence in communicating science to the public.
- Held professorships at both Oxford and Cambridge universities during his research career.
Did You Know?
He was the subject of a sustained harassment campaign by animal rights activists, including a letter bomb that injured a secretary.
He turned down a knighthood in 1999 due to concerns about the honours system, but later accepted one in 2014.
He was a talented clarinetist and seriously considered a career in music before choosing science.
He served as the president of the British Science Association.
“The brain is the last and greatest biological frontier, the most complex thing we have yet discovered in our universe.”
