Julian Assange
An Australian hacker turned publisher who weaponized the internet to expose state secrets, becoming a global flashpoint for press freedom.
Born 1971 (age 55)·Australian editor of WikiLeaks·Birthday: July 3·Generation X
Biography
In 2006, Julian Assange founded WikiLeaks, a digital platform for anonymous whistleblower submissions. The 2010 'Collateral Murder' video—showing a US Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad—and the subsequent release of hundreds of thousands of US diplomatic cables and war logs triggered global controversy. Assange faced condemnation from governments as a reckless traitor while supporters hailed him as a transparency activist. Seeking asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden on allegations later dropped, he spent nearly seven years confined to London's Ecuadorian Embassy. British authorities arrested him in 2019; he has since been held in a UK prison. His ongoing legal battles against US espionage charges continue to test the boundaries of journalism and national security. Born in 1971, the Australian editor emerged from computer hacking and cryptography with a radical vision for secure document disclosure.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Julian was born in 1971, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Julian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1971
#1 Movie
Fiddler on the Roof
Best Picture
The French Connection
#1 TV Show
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Julian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1971Born
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1976Started school
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1984Became a teenager
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Could drive
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1989Could vote
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
1992Turned 21
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2001Turned 30
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 40
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 50
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 55 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded WikiLeaks in 2006, creating a secure platform for anonymous leaking on a massive scale.
- Oversaw the 2010 publication of the 'Iraq War Logs' and 'Afghan War Diary,' revealing uncensored details of the conflicts.
- Released the 'Cablegate' trove of over 250,000 US diplomatic cables in 2010.
- Won numerous journalism awards, including the Amnesty International Media Award (2009) and the Walkley Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism (2011).
Did You Know?
He was a skilled hacker in his youth and was convicted of hacking-related charges in Australia in the 1990s.
He has used over a dozen different aliases throughout his life.
He co-authored a book on cryptography, 'Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier.'
He ran for a seat in the Australian Senate in 2013 from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
“If wars can be started by lies, they can be stopped by truth.”
