Dennis Prager
A conservative talk radio host who translated his philosophical arguments into PragerU, a massive digital platform for right-wing thought.
Born 1948 (age 78)·American conservative activist·Birthday: August 2·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dennis Prager built a career on translating complex moral and political philosophy into digestible, often provocative, commentary for a mass audience. Starting in local Los Angeles radio, his syndicated talk show became a daily fixture for millions, blending his deep, resonant voice with a Socratic style of questioning and a focus on 'happiness' as a moral imperative. His pivot from traditional media to digital evangelism was his most significant move: in 2009, he co-founded Prager University, not an accredited school but a nonprofit media company. PragerU produces slick, five-minute animated videos that present conservative perspectives on history, economics, and culture as unequivocal truth, amassing billions of views. This platform made him a central architect in the modern conservative media ecosystem, influencing a generation of young activists and thinkers. While critics decry the oversimplification, his supporters credit him for providing a clear, values-based counter-narrative to mainstream academia and media.
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.
Dennis was born in 1948, 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 Dennis Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Dennis's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
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
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
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
1964Could drive
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
1966Could vote
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
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
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
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
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
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Hosted 'The Dennis Prager Show,' a nationally syndicated conservative talk radio program for decades.
- Co-founded PragerU, a nonprofit media organization that produces short, animated explanatory videos promoting conservative viewpoints.
- Authored multiple books on morality, happiness, and Judaism, including 'Happiness Is a Serious Problem.'
Did You Know?
He studied Russian history and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Leeds and later at Columbia University.
He is an observant Orthodox Jew and frequently discusses religious themes from a interfaith perspective.
In the 1970s, he taught Russian history at Brooklyn College and later at the University of California.
“If you don't know what you're living for, you haven't yet lived.”
