History of Wolf Blitzer in Timeline

Wolf Blitzer is an American journalist and television news anchor, primarily known for his long-standing career at CNN since 1990. He's a prominent anchor at the network and has been a host of The Situation Room since 2005. He was the lead political anchor until 2021 and the sole host of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer until March 2025. Since then, he co-hosts the show with Pamela Brown.

March 22, 1948: Wolf Blitzer's Birth

On March 22, 1948, Wolf Isaac Blitzer was born. He would later become a prominent American journalist and CNN anchor.

1948: Immigration to the United States

In 1948, Blitzer and his family immigrated to the United States under the provisions of the 1948 Displaced Persons Act.

1948: Birth in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany

In 1948, Wolf Blitzer was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, near Munich, during the post–World War II Allied occupation.

1970: Bachelor of Arts in history

In 1970, Blitzer received a Bachelor of Arts in history from the State University of New York at Buffalo. While there, he was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi.

1972: Master of Arts in International Relations

In 1972, Blitzer received a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

1973: Hired by Jerusalem Post

In 1973, Blitzer was hired as a Washington correspondent for The Jerusalem Post.

April 1977: Questioning Anwar Sadat at White House press conference

In April 1977, at a White House press conference, Blitzer asked Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat why Egyptian scholars, athletes, and journalists were not permitted to visit Israel.

1979: 1979 Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt

In 1979, the Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt possible.

1985: Publication of 'Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter's Notebook'

In 1985, Blitzer published his first book, "Between Washington and Jerusalem: A Reporter's Notebook", which outlined his development as a reporter and the relations between the United States and Israel.

1986: Coverage of Jonathan Pollard's Arrest and Trial

In 1986, Blitzer became known for his coverage of the arrest and trial of Jonathan Pollard. He was the first journalist to interview Pollard and later wrote a book about the affair.

1989: 'Territory of Lies' included in The New York Times list of "Notable Books of the Year"

In 1989, Blitzer's book about the Jonathan Pollard affair, "Territory of Lies", was included in The New York Times list of "Notable Books of the Year".

May 1990: Move to CNN

In May 1990, Blitzer moved to CNN and worked as the cable network's military affairs reporter, covering the first Gulf War in Kuwait.

1990: Departure from The Jerusalem Post

In 1990, Blitzer left The Jerusalem Post after working there as a Washington correspondent, covering American politics and Middle East developments.

1991: Golden ACE award

In 1991, Wolf Blitzer was also part of the CNN team that was awarded a Golden ACE award for their Gulf War reporting.

1992: CNN's White House Correspondent

In 1992, Blitzer became CNN's White House correspondent, a position he held until 1999.

1994: Best in the Business Award

In 1994, American Journalism Review cited Wolf Blitzer and CNN as the readers' choice for the Best in the Business Award for network coverage of the Clinton administration.

1995: Emmy Award for coverage of Oklahoma City bombing

In 1995, Blitzer earned an Emmy Award for his coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing.

1998: Hosting Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer

In 1998, Blitzer began hosting the CNN Sunday morning interview program "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer".

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May 1999: Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by the University at Buffalo

In May 1999, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by the University at Buffalo.

1999: First assignment as an anchor

In 1999, Blitzer's first assignment as an anchor was on the daily newscast The World Today.

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1999: George Foster Peabody Award

In 1999, Blitzer's news team was among those awarded a George Foster Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

1999: Lowell Thomas Broadcast Journalism Award

In 1999, Wolf Blitzer won the International Platform Association's Lowell Thomas Broadcast Journalism Award.

February 2000: Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize

In February 2000, Wolf Blitzer received the Anti-Defamation League's Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize.

2000: Anchoring Wolf Blitzer Reports

In 2000, Blitzer started anchoring his own show, "Wolf Blitzer Reports".

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September 11, 2001: Edward R. Murrow Award

On September 11, 2001, Wolf Blitzer's news team was among those awarded an Edward R. Murrow Award for CNN's coverage of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

November 2002: Ernie Pyle Journalism Award

In November 2002, Wolf Blitzer won the American Veteran Awards' Ernie Pyle Journalism Award for military reporting.

2003: Daniel Pearl Award

In 2003, Wolf Blitzer won the Daniel Pearl Award from the Chicago Press Veterans Association.

2004: Journalist Pillar of Justice Award

In 2004, Blitzer won the Journalist Pillar of Justice Award from the Respect for Law Alliance.

2004: Anchor of CNN's presidential election coverage

In 2004, CNN selected Blitzer to anchor their coverage of all U.S. presidential elections since 2004.

August 8, 2005: Hosting The Situation Room

Since August 8, 2005, Blitzer has hosted "The Situation Room", a program on CNN.

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2005: End of Wolf Blitzer Reports

In 2005, Wolf Blitzer Reports, which Wolf Blitzer anchored, ended.

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May 20, 2007: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the George Washington University

On May 20, 2007, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the George Washington University at their undergraduate commencement exercise.

September 17, 2009: Celebrity Jeopardy! Appearance

On September 17, 2009, Blitzer competed on an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!, finishing the Double Jeopardy round with negative $4,600 and ultimately losing to comedian Andy Richter.

2009: Supporting role in Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace documentary

In 2009, Wolf Blitzer played a supporting role in the documentary "Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace".

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May 23, 2010: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Niagara University

On May 23, 2010, Blitzer was awarded the honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Niagara University at their undergraduate commencement exercise.

May 14, 2011: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Penn State University

On May 14, 2011, Wolf Blitzer received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Penn State University.

September 25, 2011: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Hartford

On September 25, 2011, Blitzer was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Hartford.

2013: Anchoring CNN Newsroom

In 2013, Wolf Blitzer began anchoring the 1pm ET hour of CNN Newsroom.

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May 10, 2014: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Howard University

On May 10, 2014, Wolf Blitzer received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Howard University.

September 13, 2014: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement

On September 13, 2014, Blitzer received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Rick Atkinson.

2014: CNN Newsroom Renamed to Wolf

In 2014, the CNN Newsroom program that Blitzer was anchoring was renamed to Wolf.

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November 20, 2015: Release of Jonathan Pollard

On November 20, 2015, Jonathan Pollard was released in accordance with federal guidelines.

2016: Cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

In 2016, Wolf Blitzer made a brief cameo in the movie "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice".

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2018: Appearance in Mission: Impossible - Fallout

In 2018, Blitzer appeared as himself in "Mission: Impossible - Fallout", though it was later revealed that he was portraying Simon Pegg's character Benji Dunn in a Wolf Blitzer disguise.

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2018: End of Wolf on CNN

In 2018, the show "Wolf" ended on CNN and was replaced by CNN Right Now, hosted by Brianna Keilar.

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January 2021: CNN Programming Changes

In January 2021, CNN announced programming changes, shortening The Situation Room to one hour (6–7 p.m. (ET)) beginning April 26, and expanding Jake Tapper's role at the network.

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2022: Hosting The Newscast with Wolf Blitzer on CNN+

In 2022, Wolf Blitzer hosted The Newscast with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's short-lived streaming service, CNN+ from its late March launch to its late April end.

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May 16, 2024: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from The Jewish Theological Seminary

On May 16, 2024, Wolf Blitzer received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from The Jewish Theological Seminary.

August 2024: Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism

In August 2024, it was announced Wolf Blitzer would be the 2024 recipient of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.

January 2025: Announcement of The Situation Room Time Slot Change

In January 2025, it was announced that The Situation Room would move from its afternoon time slot and air in the mornings from 10 a.m. to noon EST in March 2025.

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March 2025: Time Slot switch for The Situation Room

In March 2025, The changes to the Situation Room would officially go into effect in March.

March 2025: Co-hosting The Situation Room with Pamela Brown

In March 2025, Wolf Blitzer began co-hosting The Situation Room with Pamela Brown. This marked a change from his previous role as the sole host of the show's early evening run.