Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Cornelius Ryan

Role / Field:

Irish-American journalist and military historian, famous for his WWII accounts.

Born:

1920-06-05

Died:

1974-11-23

Century / Era:

1920s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish and American journalist, author, and historian, known mainly for writing popular military history. He was especially known for his histories of World War II events: The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D-Day (1959), The Last Battle (1966), and A Bridge Too Far (1974). Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he began working as a journalist in London in 1940. He became involved in covering World War II and travelled with troops in Europe.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

After the war, he covered the establishment of Israel. He immigrated to the United States in 1947 to work for Time. In 1951, Ryan became a naturalized US citizen and lived there for the remainder of his life. Ryan was born in Dublin and educated at Synge Street CBS, Portobello, Dublin, Ireland. He was an altar boy at St Kevin's Church, Harrington Street and studied the violin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was a boy scout in the 52nd Troop of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and travelled on their pilgrimage to Rome on the liner Lancastria in 1934. Ryan moved to London in 1940, where he became a war correspondent for The Daily...

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Frequently Asked Questions about Cornelius Ryan