← Fame through time1921
1921
Whose working lives fell in 1921. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in 1921, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
- 1
David Ben-Gurionnot measured- - 2
Diego Rivera14 decades - 3
Alfonso XIII of Spain7 decades - 4
Marc Bloch12 decades - 5
Ernst Thälmann9 decades - 6
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe7 decades - 7
George Mallorynot measured- - 8
Sergey Kirov9 decades - 9
René Guénon10 decades - 10
Robert Schuman10 decades - 11
Jun'ichirō Tanizakinot measured- - 12
Zhu De11 decades - 13
Ty Cobbnot measured- - 14
Karl Barth14 decades - 15
Al Jolsonnot measured- - 16
Oskar Kokoschka11 decades - 17
Nikolay Gumilevnot measured- - 18
Wilhelm Furtwänglernot measured-
- 19
Siegfried Sassoonnot measured- - 20
Béla Kun10 decades - 21
Sergo Ordzhonikidze10 decades - 22
Edward Rydz-Śmigłynot measured- - 23
Michael Curtiz5 decades - 24
Gotthard Heinricinot measured- - 25
Victor McLaglennot measured- - 26
Theodor Morellnot measured- - 27
Paul Tillich10 decades - 28
Mir Osman Ali Khannot measured- - 29
Henry H. Arnoldnot measured- - 30
Ed Wynnnot measured- - 31
Ma Raineynot measured- - 32
Raymond A. Spruancenot measured- - 33
Vittorio Pozzonot measured- - 34
Jean Arp7 decades - 35
Rose Wilder Lanenot measured- - 36
Karl Polanyinot measured- - 37
Erich Hoepnernot measured- - 38
Gottfried Benn11 decades - 39
Joe Masserianot measured- - 40
Salvatore Maranzanonot measured- - 41
Tsuguharu Foujitanot measured- - 42
Jisaburō Ozawanot measured- - 43
Tarsila do Amaralnot measured- - 44
Jan Masaryknot measured- - 45
Rex Stoutnot measured- - 46
Olaf Stapledon6 decades - 47
Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerinnot measured- - 48
Princess Patricia of Connaughtnot measured- - 49
Dong Biwunot measured- - 50
H.D.not measured- - 51
Hermann Brochnot measured- - 52
Hugo Blacknot measured- - 53
Spring Byingtonnot measured- - 54
Hugo Ballnot measured- - 55
Hitoshi Imamuranot measured- - 56
Raicho Hiratsukanot measured- - 57
Rash Behari Bosenot measured- - 58
Aaron Nimzovich0 decades - 59
Leo G. Carrollnot measured- - 60
Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.not measured- - 61
Willem Drees0 decades - 62
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gortnot measured- - 63
Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagelnot measured- - 64
Hiroshi Ōshimanot measured- - 65
Jean Hersholtnot measured- - 66
Frank Nittinot measured- - 67
Erich Fellgiebelnot measured- - 68
Florence Lawrencenot measured- - 69
Shūmei Ōkawanot measured- - 70
Kim Tu-bongnot measured- - 71
Sophie Tuckernot measured- - 72
Garegin Nzhdehnot measured- - 73
Edward Westonnot measured- - 74
Kurt Hahnnot measured- - 75
Nobutake Kondōnot measured- - 76
Margaret Woodrow Wilsonnot measured- - 77
Edward Everett Hortonnot measured- - 78
Dooley Wilsonnot measured- - 79
Virginia Rappenot measured-
- 80
Leo Geyr von Schweppenburgnot measured- - 81
Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrookenot measured- - 82
Henri Coandănot measured- - 83
Karl von Frisch7 decades - 84
Hugh Loftingnot measured- - 85
Tadeusz Kutrzebanot measured- - 86
Taimur bin Faisal Al Saidnot measured- - 87
Athenagoras I of Constantinoplenot measured- - 88
Harold Nicolsonnot measured- - 89
Ali Sami Yennot measured- - 90
Austin Osman Sparenot measured- - 91
Fred Quimbynot measured- - 92
May Ziadehnot measured- - 93
Giovanni Battista Caproninot measured- - 94
Sakutarō Hagiwaranot measured- - 95
Peter Freuchennot measured- - 96
Rebecca Clarkenot measured- - 97
José Linharesnot measured-
- 98
Alfonso López Pumarejonot measured- - 99
Georg Stummenot measured- - 100
Yevgeni Preobrazhenskynot measured-
How to read these rankings
- People sit in their own time. Everyone is placed in the century their working life belongs to, and never in one that came after their death.
- Attention, not reputation. A place on these lists reflects the attention a person still draws in the public record, read across every language rather than one. It is not a judgement on the life.
- Fame in print. The curves show how often a name appeared in the books of each decade from 1800 to 2019, drawn from the Google Books Ngram corpus. Those decades are closed, so each curve is measured once and kept.
- Gaps are left as gaps. Where the record is too thin to be fair, or a name belongs to more than one notable person, we would rather show nothing than guess.