Herb Caen
The rhythmic, pun-loving chronicler of San Francisco's daily drama, whose typewriter taps composed the city's unofficial soundtrack for six decades.
1916–1997 (age 81)·American newspaper columnist·Birthday: April 3·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Herb Caen didn't just report on San Francisco; he was its central nervous system, its gossip columnist, its poet laureate, and its scold. For nearly sixty years, his column in the *San Francisco Chronicle* was a daily must-read, a three-dot symphony of insider scoops, social tidbits, heartfelt tributes, and withering one-liners. He coined the term 'Beatnik' and watched the Haight-Ashbury scene bloom and fade. He championed old restaurants and mocked new architecture. His voice—wry, sentimental, and fiercely local—created a shared consciousness for a city of neighborhoods. Through earthquakes, political upheavals, and booms and busts, Caen's column was a constant, a love letter written on deadline. To read him was to know who was in, who was out, and, most importantly, what it meant to be a San Franciscan.
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.
Herb was born in 1916, 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 Herb Was Born
The biggest hits of 1916
#1 Movie
Intolerance
Herb's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1916Born
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Started school
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1929Became a teenager
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1932Could drive
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1934Could vote
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1937Turned 21
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1946Turned 30
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 40
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 50
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 60
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 70
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
1996Turned 80
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1997Died at 81
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
- Wrote his widely influential daily column for the San Francisco Chronicle for almost 60 years, from 1938 until his death.
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for Specialized Reporting in 1996 for his 'extraordinary and continuing contribution as a voice and conscience of his city.'
- Popularized the term 'Beatnik' in a 1958 column, forever naming a generation of writers and artists.
Did You Know?
He wrote an estimated 16,000 columns, totaling over 10 million words.
The city renamed a street 'Herb Caen Way' in his honor along the Embarcadero.
He famously feuded with Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith, trading good-natured barbs about their respective cities.
“A city is not gauged by its length and width, but by the broadness of its vision and the height of its dreams.”
