Timeline Henry Kissinger

German-born American diplomat and political scientist who served as US National Security Advisor (1969–1975) and Secretary of State (1973–1977) under Presidents Nixon and Ford. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War, one of the most controversial decisions in the award's history. He remained one of the most influential and divisive figures in American foreign policy for over five decades.

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Henry Kissinger 15

1923 Henry Kissinger born in Fürth, Germany Born Heinz Alfred Kissinger in Fürth, Bavaria, Germany, to a Jewish family.
1938 Fled Nazi Germany His family fled Nazi Germany to escape anti-Jewish persecution, emigrating to New York City. Thirteen of his relatives would perish in the Holocaust.
1938 – 1943 New York Childhood Grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan, attending George Washington High School. Despite excelling academically, he initially worked in a shaving brush factory.
1943 – 1946 US Army Service in World War II Became a naturalised US citizen and served in the US Army during World War II, working in military intelligence in the European theatre.
1950 – 1954 Harvard Education Studied at Harvard University, earning his BA summa cum laude in 1950 and completing his PhD in 1954 with a dissertation on the Congress of Vienna.
1954 Harvard PhD Completed his PhD at Harvard University, where he would later join the faculty and become a prominent professor of government.
1957 Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy Published Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy, which established him as a leading voice on US strategic policy and brought him to the attention of the political establishment.
1969 – 1975 National Security Advisor Served as National Security Advisor under President Richard Nixon and then Gerald Ford, overseeing the opening to China in 1972 and the policy of détente with the Soviet Union.
1971 – 1972 Secret Opening to China Conducted secret negotiations that led to President Nixon's historic visit to China in February 1972, fundamentally reshaping the Cold War geopolitical landscape.
1973 – 1977 Secretary of State Served as the 56th US Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977, the first naturalised citizen to hold the post. Practised shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.
1973 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Lê Đức Thọ for negotiating the Paris Peace Accords to end US involvement in the Vietnam War. The award was one of the most controversial in Nobel history.
1974 Shuttle Diplomacy Pioneered shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East, flying repeatedly between capitals to negotiate disengagement agreements between Israel, Egypt and Syria following the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
2014 World Order Published World Order, a major work examining the nature of international order and the challenges of the 21st century, at the age of 91.
2023 Meeting with Xi Jinping at 100 At the age of 100, travelled to Beijing and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, demonstrating his continued influence in US-China relations half a century after his original opening.
2023 Henry Kissinger dies in Connecticut Died at his home in Kent, Connecticut, at the age of 100. He had remained active as a writer, adviser and public commentator until his final years.