Yuval Noah Harari
Born 1976 · Age 49
Israeli historian, professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and bestselling popular science author of Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons, Nexus and children's series Unstoppable Us.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Kiryat Ata, Israel
Born to Shlomo and Pnina Harari in Kiryat Ata; raised in a secular Jewish family of Bucovinian and Polish Jewish descent.
Admitted to gifted class at Leo Baeck Education Center
Studied in a class for intellectually gifted children at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa starting age eight.
Began undergraduate studies at Hebrew University
Started studying history and international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at age 17; part of Atuda program (deferred military service).
Deferred IDF service under Atuda to pursue university
Deferred mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces as part of the Atuda (academic reserve) program to pursue university studies.
Published article: 'The Military Role of the Frankish Turcopoles'
Article in Mediterranean Historical Review (June 1997).
Completed BA at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Finished BA (studies 1993–1998), specialized in medieval history and military history.
Published article on Edward III's 1346 campaign
Article 'Inter-Frontal Cooperation in the Fourteenth Century and Edward III's 1346 Campaign' in War in History (September 1999).
Published article on strategy and supply in 14th-century campaigns
Article 'Strategy and Supply in Fourteenth-Century Western European Invasion Campaigns' in The Journal of Military History (April 2000).
Awarded DPhil (University of Oxford)
Completed DPhil (History) at the University of Oxford; thesis: 'History and I: War and the Relations between History and Personal Identity in Renaissance Military Memoirs, c. 1450–1600' supervised by Steven J. Gunn.
Met life partner Itzik Yahav
Harari met Itzik Yahav (who later became his husband and personal manager).
Yad Hanadiv postdoctoral fellowship (start)
Began postdoctoral studies in history as a Yad Hanadiv Fellow (2003–2005).
Published book: 'Renaissance Military Memoirs'
Renaissance Military Memoirs: War, History and Identity, 1450–1600 (Boydell & Brewer, 2004).
Published article on eyewitness accounts of First Crusade
'Eyewitnessing in Accounts of the First Crusade' in Crusades (August 2004).
Completed Yad Hanadiv postdoc (end)
Finished postdoctoral fellowship in history (2003–2005).
Published 'Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100–1550'
Monograph published by Boydell & Brewer (2007).
Published 'The Concept of Decisive Battles' article
Article 'The Concept of "Decisive Battles" in World History' in The Journal of World History (2007).
Published 'The Ultimate Experience' book
The Ultimate Experience: Battlefield Revelations and the Making of Modern War Culture, 1450–2000 (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2008).
Won Polonsky Prize for Creativity and Originality (1st time)
Awarded the Polonsky Prize for 'Creativity and Originality'.
Published article 'Armchairs, Coffee and Authority'
Article in The Journal of Military History 74:1 (January 2010).
Published Sapiens (Hebrew edition)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind originally published in Hebrew; based on 20 undergraduate lectures he taught.
Won Moncado Award (Society for Military History)
Received the Moncado Award for outstanding articles in military history.
Won Polonsky Prize for Creativity and Originality (2nd time)
Awarded Polonsky Prize again in recognition of creativity and originality.
Elected to Young Israeli Academy of Sciences
Elected as a member of the Young Israeli Academy of Sciences.
Sapiens English edition published internationally
English translation of Sapiens released (Harvill Secker / HarperCollins internationally); led to global bestseller status.
Sapiens reaches The New York Times bestseller list
Sapiens was in the top 3 of The New York Times Best Seller list for 96 consecutive weeks (claim noted in biography).
Presented idea at World Economic Forum (Davos)
At Davos Forum Harari presented ideas about the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the division between a superelite and 'useless people'.
Published Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Homo Deus examines future possibilities for Homo sapiens (book widely translated and commercially successful).
Financial Times feature on big data and free will
Published 'Yuval Noah Harari on big data, Google and the end of free will' (Financial Times, Aug 2016).
Homo Deus wins Handelsblatt German Economic Book Award
Awarded in 2017 as the most thoughtful and influential economic book of the year in Germany.
Interview with People's Daily Online on AI and biotechnology
Discussed the coming revolution of machine learning and biotechnology and the geopolitical implications (Oct 2017).
Spoke at World Economic Forum (Davos) 2018
Delivered a talk at the WEF annual conference in Davos (2018).
Delivered first TED Talk as a digital avatar
Harari gave the first TED Talk delivered as a digital avatar (2018).
Published 21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Book focused on present-day political and technological concerns, published 30 August 2018.
Controversy over Russian edition edits
Criticized in July 2019 for allowing omissions/softening of criticism of Putin in the Russian edition of 21 Lessons.
Co-founded Sapienship (social impact company)
Harari and Itzik Yahav co-founded Sapienship in 2019 to focus public conversation on global challenges and projects in entertainment and education.
Published 'Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 1' and livestream launch
Graphic adaptation co-authored with David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave published; launched in a livestream event organised by How to Academy and Penguin Books on 12 Nov 2020.
Announced $1,000,000 donation to WHO via Sapienship
Following cuts to WHO funding by the US administration, Harari and his husband announced they would donate $1 million to WHO through Sapienship to support pandemic response.
Spoke at World Economic Forum (Davos) 2020
Delivered a talk at the WEF annual conference in Davos (2020).
Published 'Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2' (Pillars of Civilization)
Second volume of the graphic adaptation released in 2021.
Appeared (online) at SXSW / conversation with Mayim Bialik
Participated in SXSW Online 2021 events (reference to conversation with Mayim Bialik).
Reportedly did not own a smartphone
As of May 2021 Harari reported he did not have a smartphone (used no personal smartphone).
Published Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World (Volume 1)
Children's book (Volume 1) illustrated by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz, first of four planned volumes, published 2022.
Criticism in Current Affairs: 'The Dangerous Populist Science of Yuval Noah Harari'
Neuroscientist Darshana Narayanan published a critical piece in July 2022 pointing to alleged lack of rigor in Harari's work.
Profiled critically in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
German newspaper called Harari a 'historian and a brand' and discussed commercial expansion of the Yahav Harari Group (Nov 2022).
Published 'The End of the New Peace' in The Atlantic
Long-form piece in The Atlantic (December 2022).
Public conversation with Lex Fridman (critic of Israeli judicial reform)
In 2023 Harari discussed Israeli politics, criticized Netanyahu government plans during a conversation with Lex Fridman and in other interviews.
Reported to own a smartphone for travel/emergency use
In October 2023 Harari said he owned a smartphone only for travel and emergencies (changed from earlier stance of no smartphone).
Published Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks (2024)
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Fern Press, 2024).
Published 'Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 3 − The Masters of History'
Third volume of the graphic Sapiens series released in 2024.
Published 'Unstoppable Us, Volume 2 − Why the World Isn't Fair'
Second children's volume in the Unstoppable Us series (Bright Matter Books / 2024).
Continued role: Professor, Department of History, Hebrew University
Serving as professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (ongoing position; faculty profile updated through 2019 and later).
Opinion: 'Will Zionism survive the war?' in The Washington Post
Op-ed published in The Washington Post (May 2024).
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