Ariel Durant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ariel Durant
|
|
|---|---|
Will and Ariel Durant (1930)
|
|
| Born |
Chaya Kaufman
May 10, 1898 Proskurov, Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire
(now Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine) |
| Died | October 25, 1981 (aged 83) Los Angeles
|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Historian and writer |
| Spouse(s) | Will Durant |
Ariel Durant (born May 10, 1898 – died October 25, 1981) was an American researcher and writer. She was born in Russia. Ariel is best known for writing The Story of Civilization with her husband, Will Durant. This huge series of books tells the story of human history. For their work, they won the Pulitzer Prize, a very important award for writers.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Family
Ariel Durant was born Chaya Kaufman in a place called Proskurov, which was part of the Russian Empire. Today, this city is known as Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine. Her parents were Ethel Appel Kaufman and Joseph Kaufman. Ariel later used the name Ida.
In 1900, her family moved away from Russia. They lived in London for several months before coming to the United States in 1901. Ariel had three older sisters named Sarah, Mary, and Flora. She also had three older brothers: Harry, Maurice, and Michael. Her sister Flora later moved to California with Ariel and Will. Flora often helped Ariel with her work.
Meeting Will Durant and Marriage
Ariel met her future husband, Will Durant, when she was a student. She attended the Ferrer Modern School in New York City. Will was one of her teachers at the school. He later left his teaching job to marry Ariel.
They got married on October 31, 1913. Ariel was 15 years old at the time. Their wedding took place at New York's City Hall. Ariel even roller-skated there from her family's home in Harlem!
Children
Ariel and Will had one daughter together, named Ethel Benvenuta Durant (1919-1986). They also adopted a son, Louis Richard "Lipschultz" Durant (1917-2008). Louis was actually the son of Ariel's sister, Flora Kaufman Lipschultz. He lived with Will and Ariel from a young age.
Awards and Later Life
Ariel and Will Durant were very successful writers. In 1968, they won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. They received this award for their book Rousseau and Revolution. This book was the tenth part of their famous series, The Story of Civilization.
In 1977, they received another high honor. President Gerald Ford gave them the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can get in the United States. That same year, the city of Los Angeles named Ariel "Woman of the Year." In 1976, they also received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
The Durants wrote a book about their own lives together. It was called A Dual Autobiography and was published in 1978. It was 420 pages long.
Ariel and Will Durant passed away within two weeks of each other in 1981. They are buried together in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Ariel once told her granddaughter that their differences helped them grow as people.
See also
In Spanish: Ariel Durant para niños
