Daniel J. Boorstin

Daniel Joseph Boorstin was a prominent American historian, professor, and writer.

Born in 1914, he graduated from Harvard, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned his PhD at Yale.

Boorstin taught at the University of Chicago for 25 years and served as Librarian of Congress from 1975 to 1987.

He authored numerous books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Americans: The Democratic Experience." His 1961 work "The Image" is considered an early exploration of hyperreality and postmodernity, introducing concepts like pseudo-events that influenced later social theorists.

Boorstin's nomination as Librarian of Congress faced opposition from the American Library Association but was ultimately confirmed.

He died in 2004 in Washington, D.C.