Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901—November 15, 1978) was born in Philadelphia and earned her doctorate from Columbia University. Her best-selling books Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) and Growing Up in New Guinea (1930) explored human development within different cultures and tried to apply lessons from other cultures to Western society. Her views were often influential on the general public, and affter research in Manus she became further convinced that societies could adapt, culminating in her expression “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”