Hendrik Willem Van Loon

Born in Rotterdam in 1882, Hendrik Willem van Loon moved to the United States in 1902 to study, attending Harvard and then Cornell, where he earned his degree in 1905. He worked as a journalist, including reporting for the Associated Press, and later became an American citizen.

Van Loon is best remembered for turning history into something vivid and approachable for general readers and children. His 1921 book The Story of Mankind, which he also illustrated, won the very first Newbery Medal in 1922 and helped establish his reputation as a writer who could make the past feel immediate and alive.

Over the years he wrote widely on history, biography, culture, and current affairs, often in a warm, conversational style. He died in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1944, leaving behind a body of work that introduced generations of readers to history through curiosity, storytelling, and an unmistakably personal voice.