Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov (2 January 1920 – April 6, 1992) was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He was known for his science fiction and popular science novels.

Interestingly, Asimov chose his own birthday! He was born in Russia sometime in the months leading up to January 2, 1920.  The exact date is not known. Asimov’s family came to the United States when he was three years old. He was fluent in Yiddish and English but did not learn to speak Russian before arriving in Brooklyn.

He was very bright and an early reader, so his mother falsely claimed his birthday was September 7, 1919 to get him enrolled in school a year early.  In elementary school Asimov learned of this and insisted on a correction to January 2, 2020.  He became a naturalized US citizen when he was eight.

Asimov’s applications to attend medical school were initially rejected, so he earned a graduate degree in chemistry at Columbia in 1939.  He eventually went on to earn a doctorate in chemistry in 1948. In between he was drafted into the Army in 1945 and served in World War II.  If his birthday had not been corrected, he would have been 26 and too old to be drafted.

Asimov became a professor of biochemistry at Boston University and served there for many years, but he preferred his science fiction writing to the research that the school wanted him to do. Asimov, with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, were known as the “Big Three” science fiction writers of their generation.

Asimov’s most famous works are the “Foundation” series, the “Galactic Empire” series and the Robot series, from which we first heard the term “robotics.” Asimov wrote many other types of books including non-fiction works to explain scientific ideas to his audience. 

Asimov was afraid of flying but enjoyed travelling, so he often sailed on cruise ships and would be part of the scheduled entertainment, giving lectures.  This affinity for public speaking and engaging with his fans carried over to science fiction conventions.

Isaac Asimov

He was president of the American Humanist Association.

Asimov has an asteroid (5020) Asimov, a crater on the planet Mars, a Brooklyn elementary school, Honda’s humanoid robot, ASIMO, and four literary awards are named in his honor.