Minneapolis is the birthplace of Thomas Friedman, who is the son in an American Jewish family.
This is a kibbutz located south of Haifa where Friedman spends his summers while he is in high school. This is part of his reward for working for the Jewish Agency.
Friedman does his graduate work in Middle Eastern Studies at St. Antony's College at Oxford. While there he has several Op Ed articles published which helps begin his career in journalism.
London is the home of the London bureau of the UPI which is Friedman's first job in journalism. The Iranian Revolution begins soon after he starts working there.
Friedman becomes the UPI Beirut correspondent in 1979. Beirut has been the site of a civil war for four years at the time......