← Fame through time1945
1945
Whose working lives fell in 1945. 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 1945, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Anne Frank7 decades - 2
Mother Teresa9 decades - 3
Akira Kurosawa6 decades - 4
Eva Braun8 decades - 5
Jacques Cousteau5 decades - 6
David Niven9 decades - 7
Gloria Stuart2 decades - 8
Paulette Goddard8 decades - 9
Chiang Ching-kuo9 decades - 10
Giuseppe Meazza3 decades - 11
Django Reinhardt7 decades - 12
Nathuram Godse1 decades - 13
Clara Petacci8 decades - 14
Irena Sendler0 decades - 15
William Hanna5 decades - 16
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar0 decades - 17
Jean Genet8 decades - 18
Joan Bennettnot measured- - 19
Irma Gresenot measured- - 20
Konrad Zuse6 decades - 21
Ingrid of Swedennot measured- - 22
William Bradford Shockley7 decades - 23
Samuel Barbernot measured- - 24
El|pelonchasnot measured- - 25
Margot Franknot measured- - 26
Walter Schellenbergnot measured- - 27
Claire Trevor9 decades - 28
Tancredo Nevesnot measured- - 29
Lee Byung-chulnot measured- - 30
Michel Aflaqnot measured- - 31
Eero Saarinennot measured- - 32
Sylvia Sidneynot measured- - 33
Howlin' Wolfnot measured- - 34
Helenio Herreranot measured- - 35
Artie Shawnot measured- - 36
Louis Primanot measured- - 37
Louis Slotinnot measured- - 38
Dorothy Vaughannot measured- - 39
Scatman Crothersnot measured- - 40
Ramaswamy Venkataraman0 decades - 41
Jack Hawkinsnot measured- - 42
Luise Rainer3 decades - 43
Edda Mussolininot measured- - 44
Jane Wyattnot measured- - 45
Kurt Meyernot measured- - 46
Infanta María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelonanot measured- - 47
John Sturgesnot measured- - 48
Joseph Kasa-Vubunot measured- - 49
Jean Anouilh9 decades - 50
Masayoshi Ōhiranot measured- - 51
Said bin Taimur Al Saidnot measured- - 52
John Woodennot measured- - 53
Carmine Coppolanot measured- - 54
Maurice Paponnot measured- - 55
Yusof bin Ishaknot measured- - 56
Douglas Badernot measured- - 57
Adolfo López Mateosnot measured- - 58
Richard Contenot measured- - 59
Robert Cummingsnot measured- - 60
Violette Szabonot measured- - 61
A. J. Ayer8 decades - 62
Kurt Knispelnot measured- - 63
Dorothy Hodgkin1 decades - 64
Robert K. Merton8 decades - 65
Paul Bowlesnot measured- - 66
Benzion Netanyahunot measured- - 67
Juan Velasco Alvaradonot measured- - 68
Diosdado Macapagal5 decades - 69
Fritz Leibernot measured- - 70
Yekaterina Furtsevanot measured- - 71
Ludwig Stumpfeggernot measured- - 72
Cyril Cusacknot measured- - 73
Miguel Najdorfnot measured- - 74
Kelly Johnsonnot measured- - 75
Eric Bernenot measured- - 76
Kitty Carlislenot measured- - 77
Pascoal Ranieri Mazzillinot measured- - 78
Mary Wickesnot measured- - 79
Julien Gracqnot measured- - 80
Jack Carsonnot measured- - 81
Pavel Batitskynot measured- - 82
Katherine Oppenheimernot measured- - 83
J. Allen Hyneknot measured- - 84
António de Spínolanot measured- - 85
Ennio Flaianonot measured- - 86
Sergey Gorshkovnot measured- - 87
John W. Campbellnot measured- - 88
Jean-Louis Barraultnot measured- - 89
John Basilonenot measured- - 90
Barbara O'Neilnot measured- - 91
Harry K. Daghlian, Jr.not measured- - 92
Ronald Coase3 decades - 93
Joy Adamsonnot measured- - 94
Jacques Monod8 decades - 95
Roza Shaninanot measured- - 96
T-Bone Walkernot measured- - 97
Richard Bongnot measured- - 98
Nikolai Kryuchkovnot measured- - 99
Aleksandr Tvardovskynot measured- - 100
Eddie Sloviknot 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.