Dick Smith (businessman)
A maverick Australian entrepreneur who built an electronics empire, circled the globe by helicopter, and became a vocal advocate for population control.
Born 1944 (age 82)·Australian aviator and entrepreneur·Birthday: March 18·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dick Smith turned a $610 loan and a rented car park space into a national electronics retail chain bearing his name. He understood the Australian appetite for gadgets and made them affordable, then sold the business. He launched Australian Geographic, a magazine feeding fascination with the continent's environment and history. Smith piloted helicopters around the world and over both poles, setting multiple aviation records. In later decades, he poured energy and wealth into philanthropy and contentious public debates. He advocated for sustainable population growth, local manufacturing, and environmental conservation. He challenged political and corporate giants, becoming a provocative and unpredictable national figure.
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.
Dick 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 Dick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1944
#1 Movie
Going My Way
Best Picture
Going My Way
Dick'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
2024Turned 80
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 82 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded Dick Smith Electronics in 1968, growing it into a nationwide retail chain before selling it to Woolworths in 1982.
- Founded Australian Geographic magazine and society in 1985, creating a iconic Australian brand focused on exploration and science.
- Completed the first solo helicopter flight around the world in 1983.
- Established Dick Smith Foods in 1999 to promote Australian-owned food manufacturing, donating all profits to charity.
Did You Know?
He was named Australian of the Year in 1986 for his entrepreneurship and community service.
He made the first helicopter flight to the North Pole in 1987 and the South Pole in 1988.
He offered a $1 million prize for the development of a commercially viable electric car in Australia in the 1990s.
He is a licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign VK2DI.
“I'm not against progress, I'm against stupid progress.”
