Born: February 5, 1948

           Hollywood, California

 

Published books include:

Tyrants: The World’s 20 Worst Living Dictators   

The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics (with Jaime Loucky)

The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics (with Jaime Loucky)

The People’s Almanac 1, 2, 3 (with Irving Wallace)

The New Book of Lists (with Amy Wallace)

What Really Happened to the Class of ‘65? (with Michael Medved)

The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People (with Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace)

 

David Wallechinsky is a Human Encyclopedia (Vice)

David Wallechinsky Gives His Answers to Readers’ Questions (Part I) (New York Times)

He Wrote the Book: Wallechinsky’s Book is Everywhere, and So is He (by Richard Deitsch, Sports Illustrated)

The Editor Who Puts Dictators In Their Places (by Mark Leibovich, Washington Post)

Ten Biggest Blunders in Olympic History (by Monte Burke, Forbes)

 

 

The Man and Irving Wallace (NPR-Here and Now)

The Crossroads of Diplomacy and Sport (NPR All Things Considered)

Bound for Glory (NPR On the Media)

 

Books made into television series:

What Really Happened to the Class of ‘65?—NBC

The Book of Lists—CBS

 

Positions:

Vice-President of the International Society of Olympic Historians

Contributing Editor, Parade magazine (search: “Wallechinsky”)

 

Miscellaneous credits:

Recipient, Olympic Order of the International Olympic Committee

Television and radio commentator for Olympic Games of 1988-2010

Guest on television shows as diverse as Eye to Eye with Katie Couric, The O’Reilly Factor, ABC World News, The Glenn Beck Program, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and CNN’s The Situation Room

Contributor, World Book Encyclopedia

Lecturer on: The World’s Worst Living Dictators and American Democracy, Is it Time for an Upgrade?

 

Unusual travels:

First Westerner in more than 50 years to visit tribal villages in “forbidden zones” of western

         Yunnan Province in China 

Interrogated by KGB during 10,000-mile train ride from Hong Kong to Portugal

Visited Albania immediately after the fall of Communism, Bhutan before the introduction of down sleeping bags; also visited Cambodia when Americans were forbidden to go there, Cook Islands, Western Samoa, Andorra, San Marino and all 50 of the United States

 

Miscellaneous facts:

Personal library of 25,000 volumes including sections on Odd Titles, Curious Histories and Esoteric Studies, and Poetry by Famous Non-Poets