J.D. Salinger was born on January 1, 1919, in New York City. He served in World War II, an experience that influenced his writing. His most famous work, 'The Catcher in the Rye', was published in 1951 and became an instant classic due to its themes of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence. Salinger was known for his reclusive lifestyle, publishing his last original work in 1965 and giving his last interview in 1980. He died of natural causes on January 27, 2010, at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire.