Ira Glass
He transformed public radio by finding profound, human-scale drama in the seemingly ordinary stories of everyday life.
Born 1959 (age 67)·American radio personality (born in 1959)·Birthday: March 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ira Glass brought a new sound to the American airwaves: his own slightly nasal, intimately conversational voice, guiding listeners through stories that felt like secrets being shared. After starting as a tape cutter at NPR, he chafed at the network's formal style, yearning to make radio that was more personal and narrative-driven. In 1995, he launched 'This American Life,' a program that built each episode around a theme, weaving together multiple stories with a literary sensibility and emotional precision. Glass’s genius was in his editing and his curious, empathetic interview style, which could draw out poignant, funny, or heartbreaking details from anyone, from a teenager to a politician. The show became a cultural institution, inspiring a generation of podcasters and proving that nonfiction audio could be as compelling as any novel or film.
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.
Ira 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 Ira Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ira'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
- Created and hosts the pioneering radio program 'This American Life,' which consistently ranks among public radio's most popular shows.
- His radio and television work on 'This American Life' earned him a George Polk Award in Radio Reporting.
- Pioneered a distinctive narrative journalism style that heavily influenced the modern podcasting boom.
Did You Know?
He was a 19-year-old intern when he started working at NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The first episode of 'This American Life' was originally titled 'Your Radio Playhouse.'
He is the first cousin once removed of composer Philip Glass.
““Great stories happen to those who can tell them.””
