Irving Berlin
A penniless immigrant who taught America to sing its own joys and sorrows, writing an astonishing catalog of standards that became the nation's soundtrack.
1888–1989 (age 101)·American songwriter·Birthday: May 11·The Lost Generation
Biography
Irving Berlin arrived in New York's Lower East Side as a five-year-old refugee from Russian pogroms. With almost no formal education and only a rudimentary knowledge of the piano—he could only play in the key of F-sharp—he possessed an uncanny gift for melody and the vernacular of everyday American life. He began as a singing waiter, plugging his own tunes. His breakthrough, 'Alexander's Ragtime Band,' fused ragtime with a pop sensibility and catapulted him to fame. For the next six decades, he wrote the score for a changing America: the wistful patriotism of 'God Bless America,' the holiday warmth of 'White Christmas,' the sophisticated snap of 'Puttin' On the Ritz.' His songs felt both timeless and instantly familiar, a direct line to the public's heart.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Irving was born in 1888, placing them squarely in The Lost 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 Irving Was Born
The biggest hits of 1888
Irving's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1888Born
President: Grover Cleveland
1893Started school
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1901Became a teenager
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1904Could drive
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could vote
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Turned 21
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1918Turned 30
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 40
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 50
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 60
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
1958Turned 70
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 80
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1989Died at 101
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
Key Achievements
- Wrote the music and lyrics for over 1,500 songs, including 'White Christmas,' the best-selling single of all time.
- Composed the scores for 19 Broadway musicals and 18 Hollywood films, winning an Academy Award for 'White Christmas.'
- Founded his own music publishing company and built the Broadway Theatre in New York.
- Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 for his contributions to American culture.
Did You Know?
He could not read or write musical notation; he employed a musical secretary to transcribe the melodies he picked out on the piano.
He married socialite Ellin Mackay in 1926, causing a major scandal as she was a Catholic heiress and he was a Jewish songwriter.
Despite writing 'God Bless America,' he donated all royalties from the song to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War I and wrote the all-soldier musical 'Yip, Yip, Yaphank.'
“The song is finished now, but it took me a lifetime to write it.”
