Rowena Morrill depicts Asimov enthroned
with symbols of his life's work

Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 in Petrovichi in Smolensk Oblast,
RSFSR (now Russia) to Anna Rachel Berman Asimov and Judah Asimov, a Jewish family of millers. His exact
date of birth is uncertain because of differences in the Gregorian and Hebrew calendars and a lack of
records. Asimov himself celebrated it on January 2nd.

Isaac Asimov (c. January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992), was a Russian-born American author and professor of
biochemistry, a highly successful writer, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular
science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than
500 books and an estimated 9,000 letters and postcards. His works have been published in nine of the ten
major categories of the Dewey Decimal System (all except the 100s, Philosophy).

Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre and, along with Robert A. Heinlein and
Arthur C. Clarke, was considered one of the "Big Three" science-fiction writers during his lifetime.
Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series
and the Robot series, both of which he later tied into the same fictional universe as the Foundation
Series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those pioneered by Robert A.
Heinlein and previously produced by Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson. He penned numerous short stories,
among them "Nightfall", which in 1964 was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America the best short
science fiction story of all time, a title many still honor. He also wrote mysteries and fantasy, as well
as a great amount of nonfiction. Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of juvenile science-fiction novels
using the pen name Paul French.

Most of Asimov's popularized science books explain scientific concepts in a historical way, going as far
back as possible to a time when the science in question was at its simplest stage. He often provides
nationalities, birth dates, and death dates for the scientists he mentions, as well as etymologies and
pronunciation guides for technical terms. Examples include his Guide to Science, the three volume set
Understanding Physics, and Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery.

Asimov was a long-time member and Vice President of Mensa International, albeit reluctantly; he described
some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs". He took more joy in
being president of the American Humanist Association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's
Science Fiction, a Brooklyn, NY elementary school, and two different Isaac Asimov Awards are named in his
honor.

Asimov died on April 6, 1992. He was survived by his second wife, Janet, and his children from his first
marriage. Ten years after his death, Janet Asimov's edition of Asimov's autobiography, It's Been a Good
Life, revealed that his death was caused by AIDS; he had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion received
during a heart bypass operation in December 1983. The specific cause of death was heart and renal failure
as complications of HIV infection. Janet Asimov wrote in the epilogue of It's Been a Good Life that Asimov
had wanted to "go public," but his doctors convinced him to remain silent, warning that anti AIDS
prejudice would extend to his family members. Asimov's family considered disclosing his condition after he
died, but the controversy which erupted when Arthur Ashe announced his own AIDS infection convinced them
otherwise. Ten years later, after Asimov's doctors had died, Janet and Robyn agreed that the AIDS story
could be made public