← Fame through time1946
1946
Whose working lives fell in 1946. 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 1946, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Ronald Reagan9 decades - 2
Konstantin Chernenko4 decades - 3
Josef Mengele4 decades - 4
Tennessee Williams8 decades - 5
Georges Pompidou8 decades - 6
Ginger Rogers9 decades - 7
Vincent Price9 decades - 8
Lucille Ball8 decades - 9
Baba Vanga0 decades - 10
L. Ron Hubbard6 decades - 11
Võ Nguyên Giáp0 decades - 12
Juan Manuel Fangio7 decades - 13
Khalid of Saudi Arabia0 decades - 14
Emil Cioran3 decades - 15
Jack Ruby6 decades - 16
Hubert Humphrey8 decades - 17
William Golding7 decades - 18
Cantiflas9 decades - 19
Władysław Szpilman0 decades - 20
Naguib Mahfouz3 decades - 21
Marshall McLuhan7 decades - 22
Danny Kaye8 decades - 23
Joseph Barbera0 decades - 24
Merle Oberonnot measured- - 25
Klaus Fuchsnot measured- - 26
Robert Taylornot measured- - 27
Max Frisch8 decades
- 28
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeldnot measured- - 29
Lee J. Cobbnot measured- - 30
Maureen O'Sullivannot measured- - 31
Czesław Miłosz1 decades
- 32
Ananda Mahidol0 decades - 33
Mahalia Jackson7 decades - 34
Broderick Crawford7 decades - 35
Louise Bourgeois4 decades - 36
Nino Rota9 decades - 37
Roy Rogersnot measured- - 38
Todor Zhivkov6 decades - 39
Mikhail Botvinnik7 decades - 40
Zenkō Suzukinot measured- - 41
Le Duc Tho6 decades - 42
Bernard Herrmannnot measured- - 43
Luis Walter Alvarez0 decades - 44
Qian Xuesennot measured- - 45
John Archibald Wheeler1 decades - 46
Ashok Kumarnot measured- - 47
Nicholas Raynot measured- - 48
Wilhelm Mohnkenot measured- - 49
Gustavo Díaz-Ordaznot measured- - 50
Ellen Corbynot measured- - 51
Jules Dassinnot measured- - 52
Ernesto Sabato7 decades - 53
Bruno Kreisky7 decades - 54
Hume Cronynnot measured- - 55
William Stuart-Houstonnot measured- - 56
Ne Winnot measured- - 57
Guy Burgessnot measured- - 58
Ishirō Hondanot measured- - 59
Shiing-Shen Chernnot measured- - 60
Gypsy Rose Leenot measured- - 61
Faiz Ahmad Faiznot measured- - 62
José María Arguedasnot measured- - 63
Randolph Churchillnot measured- - 64
Mark Bernesnot measured- - 65
Babe Didrikson Zahariasnot measured- - 66
Henri Troyat5 decades - 67
Jorge Negretenot measured- - 68
Elizabeth Bishop7 decades - 69
Bill Monroenot measured- - 70
Eduardo Frei Montalvanot measured- - 71
Richard Baernot measured- - 72
Jeanette Nolannot measured- - 73
Józef Cyrankiewicznot measured- - 74
Arkady Raikinnot measured- - 75
Herta Oberheusernot measured- - 76
Simone Simonnot measured- - 77
Phil Silversnot measured- - 78Anatoly Rybakovnot measured-
- 79
René Barjavelnot measured- - 80
Annie M.G. Schmidtnot measured- - 81
Gian Carlo Menottinot measured- - 82
Gustav Wagnernot measured- - 83
David Ogilvynot measured- - 84
Milovan Đilasnot measured- - 85
Jean-Pierre Aumontnot measured- - 86
John Gortonnot measured- - 87
Sergey Sokolovnot measured- - 88
John Langshaw Austinnot measured- - 89
Hervé Bazinnot measured- - 90
Mervyn Peakenot measured- - 91
Stanisława Walasiewicznot measured- - 92
Brian O'Nolannot measured- - 93
Jenny-Wanda Barkmannnot measured- - 94
Danuta Siedzikównanot measured- - 95
George Stigler6 decades - 96
Leif Ericksonnot measured- - 97
Wilbert Awdrynot measured- - 98
Alfred Naujocksnot measured- - 99
John C. Woodsnot measured- - 100
Harry Andrewsnot 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.