Michael Hastings, 1980
Writers · January 28, 1980
Michael Hastings
★ HOW OLD IS MICHAEL HASTINGS?
Michael Hastings is 46 years old, born January 28, 1980 in United States · Aquarius.
#2165of 4,831 Writers on HotBirthdays
★ LEDE
About
Michael Hastings turned war correspondence into explosive political journalism. Born in the US in 1980, he rose to prominence covering the Iraq War for Newsweek in the 2000s, then won the George Polk Award for "The Runaway General" (2010), a Rolling Stone profile of General Stanley McChrystal that documented his contempt for civilian leadership and triggered McChrystal's resignation. Hastings later became a vocal critic of the Obama administration and surveillance state before his death in 2013. As an Aquarius, he embodied the sign's iconoclastic impulse.
★ FEATURE
Biography
Michael Hastings was an American journalist and author who documented war and power with unflinching intensity. Born January 28, 1980, in the US, he grew up in New York, Canada, and Vermont before attending New York University. He began his career covering the Iraq War for Newsweek during the 2000s, establishing himself as a rigorous correspondent. After his fiancée Andrea Parhamovich was killed in an ambush, Hastings processed his grief and her story into *I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story* (2008), a memoir examining their relationship and the insurgency that took her life. His breakthrough came with "The Runaway General" (2010), a Rolling Stone profile of General Stanley McChrystal, NATO's commander in Afghanistan. The piece exposed widespread contempt for civilian officials within McChrystal's staff and directly precipitated McChrystal's resignation—work that earned Hastings the George Polk Award. He expanded this investigation into *The Operators* (2012), a detailed account of his monthlong embed with McChrystal across Europe and Afghanistan. By 2013, Hastings served as a contributing editor to Rolling Stone and reporter for BuzzFeed, roles from which he mounted increasingly vocal criticism of the Obama administration, the Democratic Party, and mass surveillance. His final published story, "Why Democrats Love to Spy On Americans," ran on BuzzFeed on June 7, 2013. He died in an automobile crash on June 18, 2013, in Los Angeles, California. Blue Rider Press posthumously published his only novel, *The Last Magazine* (2014). Hastings' life-path number 11 aligns with his role as a messenger of hard truths. As an Aquarius, he embodied the sign's commitment to questioning authority and exposing hidden systems.
★ ORIGIN
Before Fame
Hastings grew up in New York, Canada, and Vermont before attending New York University. He began his journalism career covering the Iraq War for Newsweek during the 2000s, gradually building a reputation for meticulous war reporting. His breakthrough moment came when his fiancée Andrea Parhamovich was killed in an ambush—an event that prompted him to write *I Lost My Love in Baghdad* (2008), the memoir that established him as a serious writer capable of merging personal narrative with geopolitical analysis.
★ SIDEBAR
Trivia
- His George Polk Award-winning "The Runaway General" (2010) directly caused General Stanley McChrystal's resignation from his post as NATO commander in Afghanistan.
- Hastings wrote *The Operators* (2012) following a monthlong embed with General McChrystal in Europe and Afghanistan, expanding on themes from his Rolling Stone profile.
- His final article, published by BuzzFeed on June 7, 2013, criticized Democratic Party surveillance practices—less than two weeks before his death.
- Blue Rider Press published his only novel, *The Last Magazine*, a year after his death in 2014.
★ SIDEBAR
Numerology
LIFE-PATH NUMBER
Master Number — The Visionary
11 carries the qualities of 2 amplified. Highly intuitive, often associated with thought leaders and trend-setters in their fields.
★ ALL LIFE-PATH 11 CELEBS →★ ASTROLOGY
Birthday compatibility
By Chinese zodiac — san-he trine for best matches, opposing pair for the most friction-prone.
HIGHLY COMPATIBLE
- Seol In-ahRat · 1996
- Rae Lil BlackRat · 1996
- Yung GravyRat · 1996
- Griffin GluckDragon · 2000
- Jade PettyjohnDragon · 2000
CHALLENGING
- Hunter SchaferTiger · 1998
- Dylan Wang
★ FAQ
Frequently asked
- How old is Michael Hastings?
- Michael Hastings is 46 years old (born January 28, 1980).
- When is Michael Hastings's birthday?
- Michael Hastings was born on January 28, 1980.
- What is Michael Hastings's zodiac sign?
- Michael Hastings is a Aquarius, born January 28, 1980.
- What is Michael Hastings's Chinese zodiac sign?
- Michael Hastings was born in 1980, the year of the Metal Monkey.
- Where is Michael Hastings from?
- Michael Hastings is from United States.
- What does Michael Hastings do?
- Michael Hastings is a writer.
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