April 29 - William Randolph Hearst

Publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst was born on April 29, 1863, in San Francisco. His father was a millionaire gold-mine owner. He was expelled from Harvard for holding large beer parties in Harvard Square and insulting his professors. In 1887 he took control of the San Francisco Examiner from his father, then bought the New York Journal and fought a circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, giving rise to sensationalized “yellow journalism.” By the mid-1920s he had purchased 28 newspapers nationwide and diversified into book publishing and magazines. In 1919 Hearst began building what’s now known as the Hearst Castle (pictured) in San Simeon, California, which he furnished with artifacts and entire rooms shipped from Europe. Full construction was never completed. He also owned a legendary H-shaped Beverly Hills mansion with 29 bedrooms and three swimming pools. Hearst’s name is permanently tied to Orson Welles’ movie “Citizen Kane” (1941), which he aggressively tried to suppress.