← Fame through time1947
1947
Whose working lives fell in 1947. 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 1947, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Alan Turing4 decades - 2
Pope John Paul I2 decades - 3
Wernher von Braun7 decades - 4
Milton Friedman9 decades - 5
Jackson Pollock7 decades - 6
Kim Il-sung8 decades - 7
Erich Honecker8 decades - 8
Gene Kelly8 decades - 9
James Callaghan8 decades - 10
Julia Child6 decades - 11
Otto von Habsburg9 decades - 12
Woody Guthrie8 decades - 13
Michelangelo Antonioni8 decades - 14
John Cage8 decades - 15
Lady Bird Johnson6 decades - 16
Karl Malden4 decades - 17
Kim Philbynot measured- - 18
Raoul Wallenberg4 decades - 19
José Ferrer1 decades - 20
Alfredo Stroessner7 decades - 21
Millvina Deannot measured- - 22
Carlo Ponti7 decades - 23
Pat Nixon5 decades - 24
Black Dahlianot measured- - 25
Jorge Amado8 decades - 26
Heinrich Harrernot measured- - 27
Enoch Powellnot measured- - 28
Feroze Gandhinot measured- - 29
Perry Como8 decades - 30
Aung San8 decades - 31
Chuck Jonesnot measured- - 32
Lawrence Durrell8 decades - 33
Adolf Gallandnot measured- - 34
Lev Gumilev4 decades - 35
Hanna Reitschnot measured- - 36
Minoru Yamasakinot measured- - 37
Pedro Armendáriznot measured- - 38
János Kádár1 decades - 39
Don Siegelnot measured- - 40
Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baznot measured- - 41
Mary Anne MacLeod Trumpnot measured- - 42
Alois Brunnernot measured- - 43
John Cheevernot measured- - 44
Elsa Morante8 decades - 45
Chien-Shiung Wu6 decades - 46
Sergiu Celibidachenot measured-
- 47
Sonja Henie9 decades - 48
Cornel Wildenot measured- - 49
Nancy Wakenot measured- - 50
Abbé Pierrenot measured- - 51
Wendy Hillernot measured- - 52
Pierre Boulle8 decades - 53
Jacques Ellulnot measured- - 54
Richard Brooksnot measured- - 55
Michel Debrénot measured- - 56
Hugh Griffithnot measured- - 57
Roy Sullivannot measured- - 58
Charles Addamsnot measured- - 59
Deokhye, Princess of Koreanot measured- - 60
Ben Hogannot measured- - 61
Barbara W. Tuchman3 decades - 62
Otto Ernst Remernot measured- - 63
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäckernot measured- - 64
Maria Mandlnot measured- - 65
Glenn T. Seaborg0 decades - 66
Georg Soltinot measured- - 67
Martha Scottnot measured- - 68
Patrick White8 decades - 69
Manoletenot measured- - 70
Samuel Fullernot measured- - 71
Danny Thomasnot measured- - 72
Fernando Belaúnde Terrynot measured- - 73
Prince Bertil, Duke of Hallandnot measured- - 74
Marcel Camusnot measured-
- 75
Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoumnot measured- - 76
Otto Kretschmernot measured- - 77
Eleanor Powellnot measured- - 78
Axel Springernot measured- - 79
Duško Popovnot measured- - 80
Frank Oppenheimernot measured- - 81
Gordon Parksnot measured- - 82
David Packardnot measured- - 83
Saadat Hasan Mantonot measured- - 84
Luiz Gonzaganot measured- - 85
John Paynenot measured- - 86
Isser Harelnot measured- - 87
Ertuğrul Osman Osmanoğlunot measured- - 88
Wolfgang Borchertnot measured- - 89
Nereo Rocconot measured- - 90
Robert Doisneau7 decades - 91
Barbara Huttonnot measured- - 92
Bayard Rustinnot measured- - 93
Zohra Sehgalnot measured- - 94
Dale Evansnot measured- - 95
Leonid Kantorovich3 decades - 96
A. E. van Vogtnot measured- - 97
Dinmukhamed Konayevnot measured- - 98
Studs Terkelnot measured- - 99
Evelyn McHalenot measured- - 100
Arne Næssnot 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.