Jonathan D. Spence

Jonathan Dermot Spence was an English-born American historian, sinologist, and writer who specialized in Chinese history. He was Sterling Professor of History at Yale University from 1993 to 2008. His most widely read book is The Search for Modern China, a survey of the last several hundred years of Chinese history based on his popular course at Yale. A prolific author, reviewer, and essayist, he published more than a dozen books on China. Spence's major interest was modern China, especially the Qing dynasty, and relations between China and the West. Spence frequently used biographies to examine cultural and political history. Another common theme is the efforts of both Westerners and Chinese "to change China", and how such efforts were frustrated. ^{Jonathan Spence, English-American historian and academic (d. 2021)}

11 August 1936

Born on the same birth date (11 August 1936): Andre Dubus • Bill Monbouquette

Born on the same birth day (11 August): Alejandra Barros • Don Freeman • Embeth Davidtz • Enid Blyton • Gemma Hayes • John Ellison • Joseph Barbato • László Szlávics Jr. • Marilyn vos Savant • Moyuka Uchijima • Sylvia Hermon • Ted à Beckett • Yashpal Sharma (cricketer) • Yolande of Aragon • Ľubomír Višňovský

Born in the same month (August 1936): Anita Gillette • Chuck Brown • Jerry G. Bishop • Lien Chan • Malene Schwartz • Margaret Hamilton (software engineer) • Patrick Tse • Rita Shane • Seamus Mallon • Wilt Chamberlain