Gordon Prange facts for kids
Gordon William Prange (born July 16, 1910 – died May 15, 1980) was a famous American historian and author. He wrote many books about World War II. His books were published after he passed away in 1980.
Prange was a history professor at the University of Maryland from 1937 to 1980. He took a break from teaching for nine years (1942–1951) to serve in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he worked in Japan as the main historian for General Douglas MacArthur. During this time, Prange collected lots of information and interviewed many Japanese soldiers and regular people. This information later helped him write his popular books.
Some of his books became bestsellers, meaning they sold a lot of copies. These included At Dawn We Slept, The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor and Miracle at Midway.
In 1963, Prange wrote Tora! Tora! Tora!, which was first published in Reader's Digest magazine. This story was later made bigger into his book At Dawn We Slept. It told the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor. His work was so important that it became the basis for the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, which came out in 1970. Prange even took time off from the University of Maryland to help as a technical expert during the movie's filming.
His deep research into the Pearl Harbor attack was also featured in a Public Broadcasting Service TV show in 2000, called Prange and Pearl Harbor: A Magnificent Obsession. The Washington Post newspaper called his book "a definitive book on the event," meaning it was the best and most complete book about it.
Prange was a very popular teacher at the University of Maryland. The university's yearbook, Terrapin, said that students loved his World War I and World War II history classes. They said students would "flock to his class and sit enraptured" as he brought history to life with his actions and sounds.
Gordon Prange's Early Life
Gordon William Prange was born on July 16, 1910, in Pomeroy, Iowa. His dad, Al, was a blacksmith, and his mom was Johanna. He had an older brother named Russell.
School Days
Gordon went to Pomeroy High School. He was very good at sports like baseball and track. People also knew him as the "class clown" because he liked to make people laugh. He finished high school in 1928.
After high school, he went to the University of Iowa. He first wanted to become a coach, but he changed his mind and decided to study history instead. He earned his first degree, then his master's degree in 1934, and finally his doctorate degree in 1937.
He also studied in Germany at the University of Berlin from 1935 to 1936. During this time, he said, "I saw Hitler operate firsthand and heard him speak a number of times." This experience gave him a unique view of history.
His Family Life
In 1937, Gordon Prange married Anne Root. Anne was the daughter of a professor from Iowa City, Iowa. They had two daughters and one son. After they got married, they moved to Maryland, where Prange started working as a history teacher at the University of Maryland.
When He Passed Away
Gordon Prange died on May 15, 1980, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was 69 years old and passed away from cancer. A park in his hometown of Pomeroy, Iowa, is named 'Prange Park' to honor him.
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In Spanish: Gordon W. Prange para niños
