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Notable Achievements at Age 50
Awarded Padma Bhushan by Government of India
Conferred India's third-highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, in 2007.
Lost Texas gubernatorial election to Greg Abbott
Defeated by incumbent Governor Greg Abbott in the general election; Abbott 4,437,099 votes (54.8%), O'Rourke 3,553,656 votes (43.9%).
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (announcement)
Jointly awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with John Gurdon "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."
Took the constitutional and judicial oaths; Assumed office as Associate Justice
Sworn in at the White House on August 7, 2010; administered oaths by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Became the fourth woman and eighth Jewish justice on the Supreme Court
Historic milestone: fourth woman ever to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.
Talking Heads inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Talking Heads were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002; the band reunited at the ceremony to play four tracks.
Elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his prion research.
Launched Medallion Fund
Renaissance established the Medallion Fund, a highly secretive, employee-only quantitative fund that became extraordinarily profitable.
ACM A. M. Turing Award (1984)
Received the ACM Turing Award for 'developing a sequence of innovative computer languages' (Euler, Algol‑W, Pascal, Modula...).
Named virus LAV (lymphadenopathy-associated virus)
The new retrovirus isolated by his group was named LAV; later standardized to HIV by the community.
Signatory of Israeli Declaration of Independence
Signed the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948.
Founded the Alpha Suffrage Club (Chicago)
Founded what may have been the first Black women's suffrage club to organize for Black women's voting rights and political representation.
Forbes net worth estimate: US$2.1 billion
Forbes reported Hamdi Ulukaya's net worth as approximately US$2.1 billion (October 2022).
SPHINCS+ selected by NIST for post-quantum standardization
SPHINCS+, an adaptation of SPHINCS co-authored by Bernstein, was selected as one of four winners in NIST's Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization competition (July 2022); it was the only hash-based winner.
Performed at Super Bowl LVI halftime show
Performed alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show.
Invoked the Emergencies Act during Freedom Convoy protests
In response to weeks-long Ottawa occupation and blockades, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to restore order (Feb 2022).
Awarded H.M. The King's Medal
Received H. M. The King's Medal (12th size gold, silver-gilt) in recognition of contributions.
Suspended 2020 presidential campaign
Ended presidential bid on Jan 13, 2020 after failing to gain traction and qualify for debates.
💡 What this means for you
At age 50, 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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