← Fame through time1938
1938
Whose working lives fell in 1938. 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 1938, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
- 1
George Orwell9 decades - 2
John von Neumann4 decades - 3
Bing Crosby9 decades - 4
Olav V of Norway0 decades - 5
Bob Hope9 decades - 6
Anaïs Nin1 decades - 7
Mark Rothko6 decades - 8
Theodor W. Adorno8 decades - 9
Georges Simenon9 decades - 10
Robert Johnson11 decades - 11
Ernst Kaltenbrunner8 decades - 12
Alec Douglas-Home6 decades - 13
Fernandel9 decades - 14
Evelyn Waugh9 decades - 15
Marguerite Yourcenar9 decades - 16
Claudette Colbert8 decades - 17
Vincente Minnelli6 decades - 18
Yasujirō Ozu0 decades - 19
Galeazzo Ciano9 decades - 20
Faustina Kowalska0 decades - 21
Habib Bourguiba9 decades - 22
Lou Gehrignot measured- - 23
Aram Khachaturian8 decades - 24
Kane Tanakanot measured- - 25
Vladimir Horowitz9 decades - 26
Konrad Lorenz9 decades - 27
Igor Kurchatov7 decades - 28
Tunku Abdul Rahman7 decades - 29
Sadegh Hedayat2 decades - 30
Rudolf Abelnot measured- - 31
Andrey Kolmogorov4 decades - 32
Kōjunnot measured- - 33
Georg Elsernot measured- - 34
Fahri Korutürk0 decades - 35
Johannes Heesters5 decades - 36
Eliot Nessnot measured- - 37
Syed Abul Ala Maududinot measured- - 38
Raymond Queneau9 decades - 39
Dean Jaggernot measured- - 40
Jiro Horikoshinot measured- - 41
Ward Bondnot measured- - 42
Mustafa Barzaninot measured- - 43
Karl Hankenot measured- - 44
Valery Chkalovnot measured- - 45
Alfonso, Prince of Asturiasnot measured- - 46
Irène Némirovskynot measured- - 47
Tamam Shud casenot measured- - 48
Benjamin Spock8 decades - 49
Andrei Grechkonot measured- - 50
John Wyndhamnot measured- - 51
Mykola Pidhornyinot measured- - 52
Matthias Sindelarnot measured- - 53
Otto Abetznot measured- - 54
Edgar Bergennot measured- - 55
Louis Leakey5 decades - 56
Amy Johnson7 decades - 57
Maria Reichenot measured- - 58
Barbara Hepworthnot measured- - 59
Grigori Aleksandrovnot measured- - 60
Alonzo Church6 decades - 61
K.Kamarajarnot measured- - 62Vladimir Jankélévitchnot measured-
- 63
Maud Lewisnot measured- - 64
Erskine Caldwellnot measured- - 65
Joseph Cornellnot measured- - 66
Dolores Costellonot measured- - 67
Jeanette MacDonaldnot measured- - 68
Silvina Ocamponot measured- - 69
Prince Charles, Count of Flandersnot measured- - 70
Claudio Arraunot measured- - 71
Curly Howardnot measured- - 72
Joseph Valachinot measured- - 73Bruno Bettelheimnot measured-
- 74
Nikolay Cherkasovnot measured- - 75
Elisha Cook Jr.not measured- - 76
Julius Fučík0 decades - 77
Hans Jonasnot measured- - 78
Pedro Eugenio Aramburunot measured- - 79
Orde Wingatenot measured- - 80
Joan Robinsonnot measured- - 81
Clare Boothe Lucenot measured- - 82
Fumiko Hayashinot measured- - 83
Vincent Richardsnot measured- - 84
Mikhail Kalatozovnot measured- - 85
Ernst vom Rathnot measured- - 86
Florence Owens Thompsonnot measured- - 87
Arpad Elonot measured- - 88
Diana Vreelandnot measured- - 89
Malcolm Muggeridgenot measured- - 90
Princess Olga of Greece and Denmarknot measured- - 91
Maurice Tilletnot measured- - 92
Fritz Bauernot measured- - 93
Edgar Buchanannot measured- - 94
Giulio Natta10 decades - 95
Heinz Reinefarthnot measured- - 96
Ma Bufangnot measured- - 97
Roy Acuffnot measured- - 98
Anne Reverenot measured- - 99
Steven Runcimannot measured- - 100
Candido Portinarinot 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.