Let's make this birthday one to remember.

60 years old (Born on July 25, 1964)

Happy Birthday, Anne Applebaum! May your day be brighter than the fall of communism and more joyful than a historian discovering untouched archives. Your Pulitzer-winning insights into Central and Eastern Europe have enlightened us all—proving that history can indeed repeat itself, but thankfully your birthdays only get better each year.

Here's hoping this birthday brings you as much excitement as uncovering another fascinating chapter in Europe's complex past. Keep writing brilliantly about serious topics—we promise to handle the cake-related humor on days like today. Cheers to many more years filled with success, laughter, and fewer authoritarian regimes!