Keith DeCandido
A provocative public intellectual who applies historical analysis to modern finance and empire, challenging academic orthodoxies with bestselling books and sharp commentary.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American science fiction and fantasy writer·Birthday: April 18·Generation X
Biography
Niall Ferguson built a career on connecting the dots between history, economics, and global power in ways that often unsettle the academic establishment. From his early work on the House of Rothschild to his sweeping analyses of the British Empire and the Great War, he has argued for the centrality of finance and the often-beneficial role of empires. A skilled communicator, he translated complex historical themes into bestselling books and television documentaries, becoming a fixture in public debate. His viewpoints, which frequently champion free markets and Western civilization while critiquing what he sees as institutional decline, have made him a polarizing but undeniably influential figure, advising financial firms and speaking to audiences far beyond the university lecture hall.
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.
Keith was born in 1969, 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 Keith Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Keith's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
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
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
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 50
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 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored 'The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World', which won the International Emmy for Best Documentary in 2009.
- Wrote the seminal biography 'The House of Rothschild: Money's Prophets', which won the Wadsworth Prize for Business History.
- Served as a senior fellow at both the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Belfer Center at Harvard University.
- Created and presented multiple major television documentary series for Channel 4 and PBS, including 'Civilization: The West and the Rest'.
Did You Know?
He is a trained pianist and once considered a career in music before turning to history.
He was a longtime contributing editor for Bloomberg Television and a columnist for Newsweek.
He became a U.S. citizen in 2018 while maintaining his British citizenship.
He is a member of the secretive, invitation-only Bilderberg Group.
“The great task of our time is to rebuild a functioning state.”
