Ayn Rand was a unique combination of three attnbutes: philosophic genius, heroic rationality, and passionate romanticism. The result was the outstanding figure o f the millennium-perhaps of all recorded history. These two lectures examine her personal and intellectual development, drawing upon three sources: the 40-hour oral history of her life, taped in 1960-61; the extensive collection of her personal letters, notes, memorabilia, and documents retained by her Estate; and Dr. Binswanger's personal recollections of her later years. Rather than recounting the story of her entire life, these lectures select some of the crucial turning points––and previously undisclosed sidelights––that capture the essence of a world-historical figure who lived life with the passionate intensity and full consciousness worthy of her greatest fictional heroes.