Will Durant (1885-1981) & Ariel Durant (1898-1981), nonfiction writers
Will Durant (1885-1981) and his wife Ariel Durant (1898-1981) were American historians, philosophers and nonfiction writers.
Will Durant was Catholic and a teacher at Ferrer Modern School in New York City. Ariel was Jewish and a student of his. Will resigned his post to marry Ariel, who was 15 at the time of the wedding, on October 31, 1913. The couple formed a strong partnership that ended only with their death within two weeks of each other in 1981.
Between 1935 and 1975, the Durants authored the highly popular 11-volume series The Story of Civilization. (While always acknowledging the contribution of his wife, Will alone was credited as the author of the first 6 volumes. Beginning with vol. 7 in 1961 both appeared as co-authors.) The Durants were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.