Psychologist BF Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 and died on August 18, 1990. Raised in a small Pennsylvania town by his father William, who was a lawyer, and his mother Grace. Skinner had a younger brother who he saw die at the age of sixteen from a brain hemorrhage. He attended Hamilton College in New York with the intention of becoming a writer. After graduating with a degree in English literature he attended Harvard University. Here Skinner invented his prototype for the Skinner box. After graduation he tried to write a novel but without success. After studying psychology he then developed his own idea on behaviorism. Skinner then earned a Ph.D. from Harvard and was a research fellow there until 1936. He later taught at the University of Minnesota and later at Indiana University. Skinner then returned to Harvard as a professor in 1948 and remained teaching there for the rest of his life. Skinner married Yvonne Blue in 1936 and had two daughters, Julie and Deborah. Skinner received a lifetime achievement award from the American Psychological Association a few days before his death. It was only in 1926, after abandoning his writing career, that he discovered behaviorism and became interested in it. Although writing didn't work for him, his efforts and experiences are what contributed to his development of behaviorism. Skinner worked toward his perspective on behaviorism and objectivism by realizing that he could not be the kind of writer he admired, who observes the physical actions of living beings but actually performs them. During his so-called dark year, the period after he moved home after graduating from Harvard, Skinner experienced difficulty maintaining his self-esteem. He... middle of paper... came up with an invention called the cute baby. It was designed to make caring for a baby easier. After a Cleveland businessman offered to develop his invention commercially, Skinner decided he wanted to move. In December 1944 Skinner accepted a job at Indiana University as professor of psychology and chair of the psychology department. In 1948 the opportunity arose to leave Indiana for Harvard, and Skinner decided to do it, even though his wife was not happy about it. Skinner continued to teach and experiment at Harvard until his death on August 18, 1990, from leukemia. Even though I had never read a biography before, I found it interesting to read. This biography not only helps you understand Skinner as a psychologist, but also what kind of man he really was. An extraordinary psychologist, a faithful husband, a caring father and a great friend.