Photo: 不明 / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
William L. Shirer occupies a rare place for me: the eyewitness who became the historian. Having reported from inside Nazi Germany as it rose, he wrote The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich with an authority no purely academic account could match. The Polk and Peabody awards and the National Book Award are impressive, but what moves me is that his work has been read and cited for more than sixty years. That longevity is the truest verdict. He reminds me why firsthand reporting matters, and why the act of carefully recording history is itself a form of moral courage.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- William L. Shirer
- Name (Japanese)
- ウィリアム・L・シャイラー
- Reading
- うぃりあむ・L・しゃいらー
- Born
- February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Dragon
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- journalist / historian / writer / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Washington High School
- University
- Coe College
Awards & achievements
- 1983 George Polk Award
- Peabody Awards
- 1961 National Book Award
- 1961 The Hillman Prize for Book Journalism
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was William L. Shirer born?
February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993.
Where is William L. Shirer from?
William L. Shirer is from Chicago, Illinois, United States.
What does William L. Shirer do?
William L. Shirer works as journalist, historian, writer, actor.
Journalist — see all → · Historian — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.