Photo: Titanic Belfast / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Robert Ballard was born in Wichita, Kansas, United States on June 30, 1942. Robert Ballard is a naval officer, oceanographer and non-fiction writer. That works out to 84 years old in 2026. Schooling on record includes Downey High School and University of California, Santa Barbara. Awards on record include National Humanities Medal (2003), William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement (1990), Kilby International Awards (1994) and 5 more.
My Take
Ballard embodies the word explorer for me. A naval officer and oceanographer from Wichita, Kansas, he descended into the pitch-black deep and dragged history's sunken ships back into the light, most famously the wreck of the Titanic, an image that gave me chills as a kid. What I admire is the sheer doggedness of chasing places no one else could reach. His honors, the National Humanities Medal and the Hubbard Medal among them, are rock solid. People like Ballard, who keep challenging the least-known place on Earth, are why the world still feels full of wonder to me.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robert Ballard
- Name (Japanese)
- ロバート・バラード
- Reading
- ろばーと・ばらーど
- Born
- June 30, 1942 (age 84)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Horse
- Origin
- Wichita, Kansas, United States
- Occupation
- naval officer / oceanographer / non-fiction writer / academic / geologist
2. Background
- High school
- Downey High School
- University
- University of California, Santa Barbara
Awards & achievements
- 2003 National Humanities Medal
- 1990 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement
- 1994 Kilby International Awards
- 2011 Nevada Medal
- 1996 Hubbard Medal
- 2002 Caird Medal
- Livingstone Medal
- 1991 Captain Robert Dexter Conrad Award
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-18
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Robert Ballard born?
Born June 30, 1942 (age 84).
Where is Robert Ballard from?
Robert Ballard is from Wichita, Kansas, United States.
What does Robert Ballard do?
Robert Ballard works as naval officer, oceanographer, non-fiction writer, academic, geologist.
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