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Notable Achievements at Age 77
Announced 2020 presidential campaign
Formally launched a second bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in February 2019.
Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics (joint with John Hopfield)
Joint recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for foundational discoveries and inventions enabling machine learning with artificial neural networks.
Made Fellow of the Computer History Museum (with Dan Ingalls)
Named a Fellow of the Computer History Museum (2022) for work promoting and codeveloping Smalltalk and computing in education.
Final episode of Mastermind aired
His 735th and final episode of Mastermind aired on 26 April 2021.
Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Blue plaque unveiled at birthplace
A blue plaque commemorating Cook was unveiled at his birthplace 'Shearbridge', Middle Warberry Road, Torquay on 17 November 2014; his widow Lin attended.
Death of ex-wife Rosalía Mera
Rosalía Mera (first wife and early business partner) died in August 2013 at age 69.
Death of husband Martin D. Ginsburg
Martin Ginsburg, a prominent tax attorney and frequent collaborator/support, died of cancer; Justice Ginsburg returned to work the next day.
Awarded U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom
Received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama (12 August 2009) for his lifelong contributions to human rights.
Died in Nashville, Tennessee
Bruce D. Henderson died on July 20, 1992, ten days after suffering a stroke; survived by his second wife Bess, four children and seven grandchildren.
Signed the Treaty of Paris (peace with Britain)
Signed the treaty formally ending the Revolutionary War and recognizing U.S. independence.
Forbes net worth listing: $13.3 billion (Mar 2025)
Forbes listed James Dyson's net worth as $13.3 billion in March 2025 (noting difference vs some other lists).
MIT names Building 2 for James and Marilyn Simons
MIT named the mathematics building in honor of James '58 and Marilyn Simons following their philanthropy to MIT.
Oprah selects A New Earth for her book club again (Jan 2025)
AP News reported that Oprah Winfrey selected A New Earth for her book club for a second time in January 2025 — the only book to be chosen twice in the club's history.
Blackstone AUM reported at $1.1 trillion (Sept 30, 2024)
Blackstone reported $1.1 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2024.
Criminal conviction for falsifying business records (New York)
Found guilty on 34 felony counts connected to hush-money payment (Stormy Daniels) — first U.S. president convicted of a felony (NY state jury verdict).
Received IEEE Computer Society Taylor L. Booth Education Award
Awarded the Taylor L. Booth Education Award (announced/published in 2024) for long-lasting inspirational teaching via functional programming.
Received Harvard GSAS Centennial Medal
Awarded the Centennial Medal by the Harvard Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for outstanding contributions to society (2023).
Additional conviction and 7-year sentence (Dec 30, 2022)
Trials concluded with another conviction and an additional seven-year sentence for corruption.
Convicted on two corruption charges (Oct 12, 2022)
Convicted of two further corruption charges and sentenced to two terms of three years' imprisonment, to be served concurrently.
💡 What this means for you
At age 77, 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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