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See what remarkable builders and entrepreneurs achieved at age 39
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Notable Achievements at Age 39
Won 3 Tony Awards for Appropriate (including Best Revival)
Appropriate won three Tonys at the 77th Tony Awards: Best Revival of a Play, Best Actress (Sarah Paulson), and Best Lighting Design (Jane Cox).
Tore left Achilles tendon (season-ending injury)
Suffered a season-ending left Achilles tendon tear just four plays into the Jets' 2023 season opener on Sept. 11, 2023.
Surrendered to custody at Federal Prison Camp, Bryan
Holmes began serving her sentence at FPC Bryan on May 30, 2023 after arranging childcare; remained eligible for visitation and family contact.
Traded to the New York Jets (April 26, 2023)
After long offseason speculation, Rodgers was traded from Green Bay to the New York Jets on April 26, 2023 (trade reportedly included multiple draft picks).
Birth of daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor
Gave birth to daughter Lilibet 'Lili' Diana in Santa Barbara, California; later revealed postpartum preeclampsia.
Inaugurated as President and Co‑Prince of Andorra
Assumed the presidency on 14 May 2017; concurrently became Co‑Prince of Andorra; received automatic Grand Master & Grand Cross Legion of Honour.
Elected President of France (first term)
Won second round on 7 May 2017 with approximately 66% of the vote; became youngest president in French history at age 39.
Breakout presentation at Apple WWDC (Apple Music redesign)
Delivered a widely praised, viral presentation of the redesigned Apple Music at WWDC 2016 that significantly raised her public profile.
Birth of daughter Delta (second child)
Shepard and Kristen Bell welcomed their second daughter, Delta, on December 19, 2014.
Won Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting (iEconomy)
Led a New York Times team that won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for a 10-article series on the business practices of Apple and other technology companies ('iEconomy').
Launched The Nerdist Podcast
Launched The Nerdist Podcast, a weekly interview show hosted by Chris Hardwick with Jonah Ray and Matt Mira; flagship property of what would become Nerdist Industries.
Cast as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation (series regular)
Offered and accepted the series regular role of Ron Swanson on NBC's Parks and Recreation; show ran 2009–2015.
Major TV role: Parks and Recreation launch and cultural breakout
Role as Ron Swanson made him widely known; Slate called him 'Parks and Recreation's secret weapon.' (Contextual milestone placed with start year).
Co-founded Adyen
Co-founded payment company Adyen with Pieter van der Does and others.
Presented thesis at Linux Kongress
Raymond first presented his 'Cathedral and the Bazaar' thesis at the annual Linux Kongress on May 27, 1997.
Came out publicly on Time cover
Publicly came out as a lesbian on the cover of Time magazine with the headline 'Yep, I'm gay'; her TV character also came out in the 'Puppy Episode'.
Birth of second daughter Caroline 'Carrie'
Gave birth to second daughter Caroline Monahan in New York City on January 5, 1996.
Founded the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Founded W3C at MIT in 1994 to develop interoperable Web standards based on royalty-free technology; served as founder and director.
💡 What this means for you
At age 39, you're at a pivotal point where many successful entrepreneurs made their breakthrough. Whether you're building your first company or scaling an existing one, these examples show what's possible with focus and execution.
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