Origins & Early Life

Robert Ludlow Trivers (; February 19, 1943 – March 12, 2026) was an American evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist who profoundly influenced both fields. Trivers proposed the theories of reciprocal altruism (1971), parental investment (1972), facultative sex ratio determination (1973), and parent–offspring conflict (1974). He has also contributed by explaining self-deception as an adaptive evolutionary strategy (first described in 1976) and discussing intragenomic conflict. Robert Trivers was born in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 1943, the son of Mildred Trivers, a poet and Howard Trivers.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His father was an American academic and US State Department diplomat who played a key role in the denazification of post-war Germany, taking part in negotiations at the Potsdam Conference, 1947 Moscow Conference, and the 1949 Paris Conference, later involved in developing US policy related to the 1956 Hungarian Uprising and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Growing up in a diplomatic household, Robert Trivers attended schools in Berlin, Copenhagen and Washington D.C, before attending Phillips Academy in Massachusetts and going on to study American History at Harvard. Trivers...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alvy Ray Smith — Contemporary (Born in 1943) (1943): Pioneering computer scientist and co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios.
• Antonio Inoki — Contemporary (Born in 1943) (1943): Pioneering Japanese wrestler, martial artist, and political figure.
• Arthur Ashe — Contemporary (Born in 1943) (1943): Pioneering American tennis star, celebrated for his skill and activism.
• Anthony Leggett — Contemporary (Died in 2026) (2026): Pioneering theoretical physicist known for work on superfluidity and low-temperature quantum systems.
• Biruté Galdikas — Contemporary (Died in 2026) (2026): Pioneering primatologist and conservationist, renowned for her work with orangutans.
• Bob Pettit — Contemporary (Died in 2026) (2026): NBA star and coach, known for his dominance with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks.
• Amy Tan — Shared historical date (02-19 · Born) (1952): Acclaimed American novelist celebrated for exploring Chinese-American family dynamics.
• André Gide — Shared historical date (02-19 · Died) (1951): Pioneering French author, Nobel laureate known for exploring selfhood and transgression.
• Alexander Mackenzie (explorer) — Shared historical date (03-12 · Died) (1820): Scottish explorer and fur trader famed for crossing North America north of Mexico.
• André Le Nôtre — Shared historical date (03-12 · Born) (1613): Master French landscape architect, famed for the formal gardens of Versailles.
• 1943 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1943
• February 19 (02-19) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 19
• 2026 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2026
• March 12 (03-12) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on March 12