Asimov's Life & the Making of a Science Fiction Icon
Isaac Asimov: Robots, Foundation & the Three Laws
Chapter 1 · Asimov's Life & the Making of a Science Fiction Icon
An Uncertain Birth for a Man Who Wrote About Precise Futures
Isaac Asimov was born in Petrovichi, in what was then Soviet Russia. His real, exact birth date is genuinely unknown — family records used the Jewish calendar rather than a precise Gregorian date, leaving the actual date somewhere in a window between 4 October 1919 and 2 January 1920. Asimov himself simply insisted official records use 2 January 1920, and celebrated that date as his birthday for the rest of his life.
A Candy Store and the Spark of Science Fiction
Asimov's family emigrated to the United States in 1923, arriving aboard the RMS Baltic when he was three, and settled in Brooklyn. His father, Judah, ran a series of candy stores that also sold pulp magazines. In his own memoir, I, Asimov, Asimov recounts that his father initially banned the pulps as "trash" — until young Isaac talked him into allowing Science Wonder Stories, around 1929, by arguing it was a serious journal of science rather than mere fiction. That single negotiated exception is the real, documented spark of his lifelong interest in science fiction.
Columbia and a Career in Biochemistry
Asimov earned a BS from Columbia University in 1939, followed by a master's degree in chemistry in 1941 and a PhD in biochemistry in 1948, with a doctoral thesis on the kinetics of the enzyme tyrosinase. He went on to become a professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine — associate professor from 1955, rising to full professor by the late 1970s.
A First Sale, and a Mentor Who Shaped a Career
Asimov wrote his first professional science fiction story, "Marooned Off Vesta," in July 1938, at age 18. Astounding Science Fiction rejected it, but Amazing Stories accepted it, publishing it in its March 1939 issue. That same rejection, from Astounding's editor John W. Campbell, marked the start of a genuine, formative mentorship — Campbell had already begun encouraging Asimov with constructive rejection letters from around age 17, well before that first sale.
Five Hundred Books, Nine of Ten Categories
Asimov wrote or edited over 500 books across his lifetime, spanning science fiction, popular science, mystery, history, and far more. A frequently repeated claim — that his books appeared in nine of the ten Dewey Decimal Classification categories — genuinely holds up, rather than being exaggerated trivia. The one category he never published in was 100, Philosophy & Psychology, despite writing essays and forewords that touched on those subjects.
A Fear of Flying
Asimov had a genuine, well-documented fear of flying, and flew only twice in his entire life — both times during his World War II service: a test flight in Philadelphia, and a DC-3 flight home from Hawaii in 1946. He never flew again afterward.
Two Marriages
Asimov married Gertrude Blugerman on 26 July 1942; the couple separated in 1970, with the divorce finalized on 16 November 1973. Later that same year, on 30 November 1973, he married Janet Opal Jeppson, remaining married to her until his death.
A Death Kept Private
A Life in Brief
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1920 (official) | Born in Petrovichi, Russia — real date genuinely uncertain |
| 1923 | Emigrates to the US; settles in Brooklyn |
| 1938 | Writes "Marooned Off Vesta," his first professional sale |
| 1939 | BS from Columbia; "Marooned Off Vesta" published |
| 1942 | Marries Gertrude Blugerman |
| 1948 | PhD in biochemistry, Columbia |
| 1973 | Divorces Gertrude; marries Janet Jeppson |
| 1983 | Contracts HIV via a blood transfusion during heart surgery |
| 1992 | Dies, aged 72; true cause kept private |
| 2002 | Janet Asimov reveals the true cause of death |
Questions to Sit With
Asimov's own birth date is genuinely uncertain, yet he wrote fiction premised on precisely predicting the future of entire civilizations. Do you think there's a real connection between growing up with that kind of foundational uncertainty and being drawn to fiction obsessed with predictability — or is that reading too much into a coincidence?
A single negotiated exception — one pulp magazine allowed past his father's own "trash" ban — arguably launched one of the most influential careers in science fiction. How much do you think of a person's later life can hinge on a single small decision like that?
Asimov's true cause of death was concealed for a decade, on medical advice, at a time when HIV/AIDS carried real, severe social stigma. How do you weigh a family's right to privacy against the public's own interest in knowing the truth about a beloved public figure?
Quick Reference — Chapter 1
- Born in Petrovichi, Russia — his real birth date is genuinely uncertain; he himself chose 2 January 1920 as his official date
- Emigrated to Brooklyn in 1923; his father's candy store, and one negotiated pulp magazine exception around 1929, sparked his interest in SF
- Columbia University — BS (1939), MA in chemistry (1941), PhD in biochemistry (1948); later a biochemistry professor at Boston University
- First sale, "Marooned Off Vesta" (written 1938, published 1939), launched his relationship with editor John W. Campbell
- Wrote or edited 500+ books, genuinely spanning 9 of the 10 Dewey Decimal categories
- Feared flying — flew only twice in his life, both during WWII service
- Married twice: Gertrude Blugerman (1942–1973), then Janet Jeppson (1973 until his death)
- Died in 1992 of AIDS contracted via a 1983 blood transfusion — kept private until his widow revealed it in 2002
What's Next
Chapter 2: The Three Laws of Robotics: Origins & Text.