Henry Adams, son of a distinguished American diplomat, grand-son of the sixth president of the United States, and great-grandson of the second president, began his famous autobiography by noting the extraordinary circumstances of his birth. He wrote: “Had he [Adams] been born in Jerusalem under the shadow of the Temple and circumcised in the Synagogue by his uncle the high priest, under the name of Israel Cohen, he would scarcely have been more distinctly branded” (Adams 1918). The Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal,” but it is obvious that men (and women) are born into unequal circumstances. It is also obvious that these circumstances, while not all-determining, strongly affect future development, How we live depends a great deal on when and to whom we are born, This section considers some of the principal factors that, on average, have important implications for an infant’s prospects in life.