Ayn Rand was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on February 2, 1905. Growing up in Russia she witnessed firsthand the Bolshevik Revolution and the devastating effects of the Communist philosophy. Her family suffered greatly under the Communists with the confiscation of her father's pharmacy and periods of  near-starvation for her family. During her last year of high school, when she studied American history, she knew immediately that America represented a nation of true freedom and prosperity.

Ayn Rand came to America in 1925, telling the Soviets it would be a short stay, but knowing she would never return to Russia. She eventually ended up in Hollywood where she began her writing career. Her first major book, We the Living, was published in 1934. It is thought that this book was based upon her years of living under the tyranny of the Communist regime in Russia.

Ayn Rand went on to write The Fountainhead, which was published in 1943 and became a best-seller.  In The Fountainhead she accomplished her main goal - to present her view of the ideal man and the true concept of individualism. The book was made into a movie in 1948.

Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand’s magnum opus, was published in 1957. It was in this work that Ayn Rand dramatized her philosophy of Objectivism completely. Atlas Shrugged has continued to be identified as one of the most influential books in history. Since 1957, almost 7,000,000 copies have been sold.

Ayn Rand went on to write and lecture about Objectivism, which she described as “a philosophy for living on Earth”. Her work and ideas have driven a philosophic movement and have changed the lives of thousands of readers. Ayn Rand died in New York March 6, 1982.

For more information on Ayn Rand, her works and her philosophy of Objectivism, please visit the website of The Ayn Rand Institute.