William Rubinstein facts for kids

William D. Rubinstein (born August 12, 1946 – died July 1, 2024) was a well-known historian and author. He was famous for studying how very wealthy people became rich. His most famous book, Men of Property, looked at the rise of the "super rich" in Britain. He believed this group of people grew much larger over time.

Early Life and Education

William D. Rubinstein was born in New York City, USA. He went to college at Swarthmore College and then studied at Johns Hopkins University. Both of these schools are in the United States.

His Work as a Professor

Rubinstein taught history at several universities. He worked at Lancaster University in England from 1974 to 1975. Then, he moved to Australia.

In Australia, he taught at the Australian National University from 1976 to 1978. After that, he worked at Deakin University in Victoria from 1978 to 1995. At Deakin, he became a full professor of history.

Later, he moved to Wales and taught at Aberystwyth University from 1995 to 2011. He was also a professor there. More recently, he was a special professor at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

He was chosen as a Fellow of important groups like the Australian Academy of the Humanities. This means he was recognized for his excellent work in history and social sciences.

Contributions to Jewish History

William Rubinstein was very active in studying Jewish history. He was the President of the Jewish Historical Society of England from 2002 to 2004.

He also helped edit the articles about Britain and the Commonwealth for Encyclopaedia Judaica in 2006. This is a big book of information about Jewish history and culture. He also helped start the Australian Association for Jewish Studies in 1987. He was its President for a few years.

In 2022, he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This award was given to him for his important work in education and Jewish history.

Books and Research

Rubinstein wrote many books and articles. His works have been translated into several languages, including French, Chinese, and Japanese.

Studying Wealth and Business

He was especially known for his research on wealthy people in modern Britain. He used old records like tax documents to understand how people became rich. His books on this topic include Men of Property (1981) and Capitalism, Culture and Decline in Britain, 1750–1990 (1991).

He also wrote The Richest of the Rich (2007) with Philip Beresford. This book looked at the 250 wealthiest people in British history since the Norman Conquest. He also wrote a book about Australia's richest people, called The All-Time Australian 200 Rich List (2004).

Researching Jewish History

As a scholar of modern Jewish history, he wrote A History of the Jews in the English-Speaking World: Great Britain (1996). He also wrote The Myth of Rescue (1997). This book discussed whether the Allies could have saved more Jewish people during the Holocaust.

Rubinstein appeared in several historical TV shows about the Holocaust. One of these was the BBC's Secrets of the Dead: Bombing Auschwitz. It was shown in the United States in 2020.

Exploring Historical Mysteries

Rubinstein also looked into topics that many people are curious about, but which academics often don't study. His book Shadow Pasts (2007) explored subjects like the assassination of President Kennedy and Jack the Ripper.

He also wrote a book with Brenda James called The Truth Will Out (2005). In this book, they suggested that Henry Neville, an old English politician, might have been the real author of William Shakespeare's plays.

His wife, Hilary L. Rubinstein, is also a historian.

Death

William D. Rubinstein passed away on July 1, 2024.