Jonas Bernanke, Ben Bernanke's paternal grandfather, immigrated to the United States from Boryslav, Austria-Hungary (now part of Ukraine), on June 30, 1921, with his wife Pauline. They arrived at Ellis Island, and Jonas's occupation was listed as 'clerk' and Pauline's as 'doctor med'.

Ben Bernanke was born on December 13, 1953, in Augusta, Georgia. His upbringing and family background influenced his journey to becoming a prominent economist and leader in the field of finance.

Ben Bernanke enrolled at Harvard College in 1971, where he lived in Winthrop House and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an A.B. degree. He later graduated summa cum laude with an A.M. in economics in 1975.

Ben Bernanke received a Ph.D. degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979 after completing and defending his dissertation, 'Long-Term Commitments, Dynamic Optimization, and the Business Cycle'.

Ben Bernanke moved to Montgomery Township, New Jersey in 1985 when he left Stanford to accept a position at Princeton. His children attended the local public schools there.

In 2002, Ben Bernanke became a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, where he served until 2005. During this time, he delivered a speech titled 'Deflation: Making Sure It Doesn't Happen Here', outlining what has been referred to as the Bernanke doctrine.

In February 2004, as a member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, Bernanke gave a speech postulating the concept of the Great Moderation, suggesting that modern macroeconomic policy has decreased the volatility of the business cycle.

In June 2005, Ben Bernanke was appointed as the chairman of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, which was seen as a test run to determine if he could succeed Greenspan as Fed chairman the following year.

Ben Bernanke resigned from his position at Princeton University on July 1, 2005.

Ben Bernanke assumed the position of Chairman of the Federal Reserve on February 1, 2006, succeeding Alan Greenspan. He played a crucial role in overseeing the Federal Reserve's response to the late-2000s financial crisis.

Larry Summers, an economist who later served as Director of the White House's National Economic Council, urged the Federal Reserve to lower the federal funds rate, emphasizing the importance of maintaining demand during a likely recession.

David Leonhardt of The New York Times assessed Bernanke's economic forecasts, noting that while his recent forecast had been too optimistic, it had been more accurate than Wall Street's in mid-2006.

As the Great Recession deepened, Bernanke oversaw the Fed's unorthodox measures, including lowering the funds interest rate to 0.0% and initiating quantitative easing, creating $1.3 trillion from November 2008 to June 2010 to buy financial assets from banks and the government.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Commission approved a resolution on February 21, 2009 to name Exit 190 along Interstate Highway 95 in Dillon County the Ben Bernanke Interchange.

Bernanke was mentioned in allegations of fraud concerning the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, related to the disclosure of losses at Merrill Lynch to Bank of America.

Congressional hearings were conducted with Bernanke testifying that he did not bully Bank of America's CEO and that the Fed did nothing illegal or unethical in its efforts to convince Bank of America not to end the merger.

President Obama announced his intention to nominate Bernanke for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, praising Bernanke's contributions in preventing another Great Depression in 2008.

A whistleblower revealed documents detailing Bernanke's involvement in the AIG bailout, raising concerns about the necessity of the decision. Senator Jim Bunning also stated that Bernanke overruled staff recommendations in the bailout.

On January 28, 2010, Ben Bernanke was confirmed for a second term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, after being renominated by President Barack Obama. This reaffirmed his influential role in shaping the country's monetary policies.

During a speech on April 7, 2010, Bernanke warned about the pending funding crisis faced by entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, emphasizing the need for a credible plan to address the deficit.

Ben Bernanke's second term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve ended on January 31, 2014, and he was succeeded by Janet Yellen on February 3, 2014. His leadership during this period was significant in stabilizing the economy after the financial crisis.

On April 16, 2015, it was publicly announced that Bernanke would work with Citadel as a senior adviser. In the same month, it was revealed that he would also join PIMCO as a senior advisor.

Ben Bernanke published 'The New Tools of Monetary Policy' in the American Economic Review, discussing innovative approaches to monetary policy.

In 2021, Ben Bernanke became a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

In 2022, Bernanke was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on the causes of the Great Depression, particularly credit market stress and the failing gold standard.

Ben Bernanke delivered his Nobel Prize Lecture on the topic of Banking, Credit, and Economic Fluctuations, discussing the impact of these factors on the economy.