# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/joseph-needham
# Generated: 2026-08-12T22:57:02.527Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/joseph-needham"
name: "Joseph Needham"
slug: "joseph-needham"
description: "Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham was a British biochemist, historian of science and sinologist known for his scientific research and writing on the history of Chinese science and technology, initiating publication of the multivolume Science and Civilisation in China. He called attention to what has come to be known as the Needham Question, of why and how China had ceded its leadership in science and technology to Western countries."
tagline: "British biochemist, historian and sinologist (1900–1995)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Joseph_Needham_in_Cambridge_1965_04.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "United Kingdom"
  isoCode: "GB"
category:
  name: "Writers"
  slug: "writers"
profileType:
  name: "Writer / Author"
  slug: "writer"
birthDate: "1900-12-09"
deathDate: "1995-03-24"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           53.5
  momentum:             0
  historical:           22.83989866666667
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  70
  trendDirection:       "FALLING"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
sources:
  - url: "https://it.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%81_%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%85"
    title: "جوزيف نيدهام"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%86%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%81_%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85"
    title: "چوزيف نيدام"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B6%D0%BE%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%B5%D1%84_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%B9%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BC"
    title: "Джоузеф Нийдам"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A4%CE%B6%CF%8C%CE%B6%CE%B5%CF%86_%CE%9D%CE%AE%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BC"
    title: "Τζόζεφ Νήνταμ"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%81_%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%AF%D9%85"
    title: "جوزف نیدم"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%92'%D7%95%D7%96%D7%A3_%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%93%D7%94%D7%9D"
    title: "ג'וזף נידהם"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%AB_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%AE"
    title: "जोसेफ नीधम"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A7%E3%82%BC%E3%83%95%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8B%E3%83%BC%E3%83%80%E3%83%A0"
    title: "ジョゼフ・ニーダム"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%AF%E1%83%9D%E1%83%96%E1%83%94%E1%83%A4_%E1%83%9C%E1%83%98%E1%83%93%E1%83%94%E1%83%9B%E1%83%98"
    title: "ჯოზეფ ნიდემი"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%A1%B0%EC%A7%80%ED%94%84_%EB%8B%88%EB%8D%A4"
    title: "조지프 니덤"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Joseph Needham"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Needham"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q318054"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Imported from discovery source: wikidata-dump