Finland's brush with Greatness! Congratulations!!!
1905 Born Alissa Zinovievna Rosenbaum on February 2 in St. Petersburg, Russia, to Zinovy Zacharovich Rosenbaum ("Fronz") and Anna Borisovna Rosenbaum. Alissa is the oldest of three sisters, Natasha and Nora.
1913 8 Begins to invent own stories and movie scenarios
1914 9 Family makes summer trip to Austria, Switzerland, and England. Reads The Mysterious Valley by Maurice Champagne and falls in love with its hero, Cyrus, who becomes prototype for her own later fictional heroes (the name Kira, heroine of her novel We the Living, is the feminine of Cyrus). Decides to become a writer.
1915 10 First efforts to write novels.
1917 12 Summer in Finland. Witnesses first shots of the Bolshevik revolution in St. Petersburg.
1918 13 Falls in love with the work of Victor Hugo; under political pressure, family abandons Petrograd for the Crimea.
1921 16 Graduates from gymnasium. The Crimea falls to the Bolsheviks, and Alissa burns her diary, which is filled with anticommunist ideas. Returns with family to Petrograd and enters the University of Petrograd, majoring in history, with a minor in philosophy.
1921/ 22 17 Studies philosophy under N. O. Losky. Initial attraction to Nietzsche’s work.
1924 19 Graduates from newly renamed University of Leningrad with highest honors. Takes job as museum guide, and enrolls in State Institute for Cinema Arts.
1925 20 Pola Negri, her biographical sketch of a silent-era actress, is published in Moscow and Leningrad. Studies English and travels to Latvia for U. S. visa.
1926 21 Leaves USSR January 26; arrives in Berlin for 21st birthday; leaves France by ship February 10, arriving in New York on February 18. Lives with Chicago relatives for six months, and adopts pen name of Ayn Rand. Writes her first short story in English, "The Husband I Bought." In September moves to Hollywood. Meets Cecil B. DeMille, who gives her job as extra in King of Kings. Meets actor Frank O’Connor on the set. Works as script reader. Her tribute, Hollywood: American City of Movies is published in Russia without her knowledge.
1927? 22 Writes short story "Good Copy."
1929 24 Marries Frank O’Connor on April 15. Works in RKO wardrobe department; plots We the Living in her spare time. Writes short stories "Escort" and "Her Second Career."
1931 26 Becomes naturalized U. S. citizen on March 13
1932 27 Becomes head of RKO wardrobe office. Screenplay Red Pawn sold to Universal, later purchased by Paramount. Finishes play, Penthouse Legend (later retitled Night of January 16th)
1933 28 Completes We the Living; sells Penthouse Legend to MGM.
1934 29 Writes novelette Ideal, later turned into a play. Penthouse Legend produced as Woman on Trial at the Hollywood Playhouse, then sold to Broadway producer. In November moves with Frank O’Connor to New York City; when Penthouse Legend production is delayed, takes work as script reader. Begins planning The Fountainhead.
1935 30 Sells We the Living to Macmillan. Night of January 16th opens for successful six-month run on Broadway.
1936 31 We the Living published in U. S. and England a month after closing of Night of January 16th.
1937 32 Writes Anthem but is unable to find a U. S. publisher. Works in office of architect Ely Jacques Kahn in order to research The Fountainhead.
1938 33 Anthem published in England. On June 26 begins writing The Fountainhead.
1939 34 Writes play Think Twice. Adapts We the Living as play, The Unconquered.
1940 35 The Unconquered produced on Broadway by George Abbott, has five-day run in February. Campaigns for Wendell Willkie and meets major conservative thinkers of the day.
1941 36 After rejection by a dozen publishers, signs contract with Bobbs-Merrill to publish The Fountainhead, not yet completed. Deadline for completed manuscript is January 1, 1943.
1942 37 Delivers completed manuscript of The Fountainhead on December 31.
1943 38 The Fountainhead published on May 6. Sells movie rights to Warner Brothers and moves back to Los Angeles area with Frank O’Connor to write screenplay adaptation. First ideas for plot of Atlas Shrugged.
1944 39 "The Only Path to Tomorrow" published in January Reader’s Digest. Becomes contract screenwriter for Hal Wallis. Writes screenplay for film Love Letters. Buys home in Chatsworth, CA designed by Richard Neutra.
1945 40 Anthem finally published for first time in the U. S. by Pamphleteers, Inc.
1946 41 Begins writing The Strike, working title of Atlas Shrugged, on September 2. "Textbook of Americanism" in Vigil.
1947 42 Testifies before House Committee on Un-American Activities about communist penetration of film industry. Writes "Screen Guide for Americans" in November Plain Talk. Visits Colorado to do research for The Strike.
1948 43 Writes final screenplay for film version of The Fountainhead; production begins.
1949 44 The Fountainhead film, starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal, is released. Letter to New York Times published July 24.
1950 45 Meets fans Nathan Blumenthal (later Nathaniel Branden) and Barbara Weidman (later Barbara Branden), who become close friends and philosophical allies.
1951 46 Moves permanently back to New York City in October to work full-time on The Strike.
1957 52 Finishes Atlas Shrugged in March. Published October 10 by Random House.
1958 53 Gives private lectures on fiction writing (published posthumously as The Art of Fiction.) Helps Nathaniel Branden prepare a course, "The Basic Principles of Objectivism," for newly formed Nathaniel Branden Lectures (soon the Nathaniel Branden Institute).
1960 55 Gives first of many university talks, at Yale. "JFK – High Class Beatnik?" in Human Events (September).
1961 56 For the New Intellectual published. Who Is Ayn Rand? by the Brandens published. First annual lecture at Boston’s Ford Hall Forum.
1962 57 Begins to publish The Objectivist Newsletter with Nathaniel Branden.
1963 58 Receives honorary doctor of humane letters from Lewis and Clark College. "The Money-Making Personality" in April Cosmopolitan.
1964 59 Playboy interview in March. The Virtue of Selfishness published. "Let Us Alone!" in Yale Political Magazine, summer issue.
1966 61 The Objectivist (which replaces The Objectivist Newsletter) serializes "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology." Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal published.
1968 63 Nathaniel Branden Institute closes; Rand breaks with the Brandens, assumes sole editorship of The Objectivist. Night of January 16th published.
1970 65 The Romantic Manifesto published. "The New Left Represents an Intellectual Vacuum" in May 17 New York Times Magazine.
1971 66 The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution published. The Objectivist is replaced by The Ayn Rand Letter. "Why I Like Stamp Collecting" in Minkus Stamp Journal.
1972 67 "Do Our Tax Laws Need a Shake-Up?" in November Saturday Review of the Society.
1974 69 Lectures to West Point graduating class on "Philosophy: Who Needs It?"
1976 71 Last issue of The Ayn Rand Letter in January-February. Letter to New York Times August 11.
1977 72 Luncheon in her honor hosted by Boston’s Ford Hall Forum.
1979 74 Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology published. Frank O’Connor dies.
1981 76 Last public address, "The Sanction of the Victims," before annual conference of National Committee for Monetary Reform in New Orleans, in November.
1982 77 Begins screenplay for planned TV miniseries of Atlas Shrugged. Dies at home on March 6. Philosophy: Who Needs It? published posthumously.
1986 The Early Ayn Rand published posthumously.
1989 The Voice of Reason published posthumously.
1991 The Ayn Rand Column published posthumously.
1995 The Letters of Ayn Rand published posthumously.
1997 Journals of Ayn Rand published posthumously.
1999 Russian Writings on Hollywood published posthumously. |
