Kip Thorne
His 1988 textbook 'Gravitation' weighs 5.4 pounds, serving as the 1,270-page foundational tome for two generations of astrophysicists.
Born 1940 (age 86)·American physicist, writer, and Nobel Laureate·Birthday: June 1·The Silent Generation
Biography
Kip Thorne co-founded the LIGO project in 1984, which first detected gravitational waves on September 14, 2015, confirming a 100-year-old prediction. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017 for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves. Thorne published 'Gravitation' with Charles Misner and John Wheeler in 1973; it remains the standard graduate text. He served as the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech from 1991 to 2009. Thorne advised Christopher Nolan on the film 'Interstellar' in 2014, authoring the companion book 'The Science of Interstellar'. He published over 150 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. Thorne predicted the existence of wormholes and methods for their detection in a 1988 paper. He mentored 55 PhD students during his academic career. The LIGO observatories in Washington and Louisiana cost $1.1 billion to construct and upgrade. Thorne retired from faculty duties in 2009 but maintains an active research office.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Kip was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent 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 Kip Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
Kip's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
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
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
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
1990Turned 50
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
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 70
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 80
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 86 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (2017) for the detection of gravitational waves.
- Co-authored the seminal physics textbook 'Gravitation' (1973).
- Co-founded the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) project (1984).
Did You Know?
He lost a bet to Stephen Hawking regarding the existence of black holes in Cygnus X-1 and paid up with a subscription to 'Penthouse'.
He has a cameo appearance in the film 'Interstellar', sitting in a spaceship bar.
He designed the first-year physics curriculum for the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in the 1990s.
“We are hearing the universe for the first time. Before 2015, we were deaf.”
