Sarah Palin
A governor from Alaska who burst onto the national stage as a vice-presidential candidate, energizing a political base and reshaping the Republican party's style.
Born 1964 (age 62)·American politician·Birthday: February 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Sarah Palin's political ascent was meteoric. A former city council member and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she was a little-known governor when Senator John McCain selected her as his running mate in 2008. With her folksy diction, signature glasses, and history as a high-school basketball star, she presented a sharp contrast to the established political figures of the time. Her nomination electrified the conservative base but also drew intense national scrutiny. After the McCain-Palin ticket lost, she resigned as governor and became a powerful voice in political media, best-selling author, and a key figure in the Tea Party movement. Palin's candidacy prefigured a shift in American politics toward a more confrontational, media-savvy, and populist style that would come to define much of the following decade.
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.
Sarah was born in 1964, 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 Sarah Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Sarah's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
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
1969Started school
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
1977Became a teenager
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
1980Could drive
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
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
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
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the first female and youngest Governor of Alaska from 2006 to 2009.
- Became the first Republican woman nominated for Vice President of the United States on the 2008 ticket with John McCain.
- Authored several best-selling books, including 'Going Rogue: An American Life.'
- Was a prominent figure and speaker within the Tea Party movement following the 2008 election.
Did You Know?
She was a sports reporter for an Anchorage television station before entering politics.
She and her husband, Todd, are licensed commercial fishermen.
She was runner-up in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant, winning a college scholarship.
““I say, drill, baby, drill!””
