Eric Schlosser
An investigative journalist who pulled back the curtain on the American fast-food industry, exposing its hidden costs to workers, health, and society.
Born 1959 (age 67)·American journalist and author·Birthday: August 17·Baby Boomers
Biography
Eric Schlosser changed the way a generation thinks about what they eat. A journalist with a novelist's eye for character and detail, he turned a two-part Rolling Stone assignment into 'Fast Food Nation,' a 2001 book that dissected the fast-food industry as a powerful economic and cultural force. Schlosser didn't just critique the food; he traced its tendrils into meatpacking plant labor practices, agricultural lobbying, and suburban sprawl, creating a damning and influential portrait of a system. His work is characterized by deep, immersive reporting, whether exploring the underground economy in 'Reefer Madness' or the perilous history of America's nuclear arsenal in 'Command and Control.' Schlosser's impact moved beyond the page, influencing public debate, inspiring documentary films, and making him a pivotal voice in the conversation about food safety, workers' rights, and corporate power.
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.
Eric was born in 1959, 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 Eric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Eric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
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
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
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
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored the seminal investigative work 'Fast Food Nation,' a New York Times bestseller that sparked a national conversation about the food industry.
- His book 'Command and Control' was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for History.
- Co-wrote the screenplay for the film 'Fast Food Nation,' which dramatized themes from his book.
- His investigative reporting for The Atlantic on the U.S. prison system won a National Magazine Award.
Did You Know?
He worked as a playwright and dramaturge in London before becoming a journalist.
Schlosser was a history major at Princeton University.
He has written for The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic, among other publications.
His interest in nuclear safety for 'Command and Control' was sparked by a visit to a decommissioned missile silo.
“The fast food chains now stand atop a huge food-industrial complex that has gained control of American agriculture.”
