← Fame through time1950
1950
Whose working lives fell in 1950. 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 1950, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Frank Sinatra8 decades - 2
Édith Piaf6 decades - 3
Ingrid Bergman8 decades - 4
Orson Welles9 decades - 5
Augusto Pinochet5 decades - 6
Arthur Miller11 decades - 7
Billie Holiday8 decades - 8
Anthony Quinn7 decades - 9
Eli Wallach7 decades - 10
Moshe Dayan11 decades - 11
David Rockefeller7 decades - 12
Roland Barthes8 decades - 13
Stanley Matthews10 decades - 14
Alan Watts7 decades - 15
Hu Yaobangnot measured- - 16
Vasily Zaitsev8 decades - 17
Joachim Peipernot measured- - 18
Les Paul6 decades - 19
Yitzhak Shamir8 decades - 20
Saul Bellow7 decades - 21
Franz Josef Straußnot measured- - 22
Paul Tibbetsnot measured- - 23
Curd Jürgensnot measured- - 24
Thomas Mertonnot measured- - 25
Bob Kanenot measured- - 26
Mario Monicellinot measured- - 27
Edmond O'Briennot measured- - 28
Helmut Schönnot measured- - 29
Shoichi Yokoinot measured- - 30
Takahito, Prince Mikasanot measured- - 31
Konstantin Simonov9 decades - 32
Harry Morgannot measured- - 33
Sister Rosetta Tharpenot measured- - 34
Sviatoslav Richter7 decades - 35
Ann Sheridannot measured- - 36
Aziz Nesinnot measured- - 37
David Stirlingnot measured- - 38
Jo Van Fleetnot measured- - 39
Zero Mostelnot measured- - 40
Sargent Shrivernot measured- - 41
Israel Epsteinnot measured- - 42
Jacques Chaban-Delmasnot measured- - 43
Fred Hoyle7 decades - 44
Lorne Greenenot measured- - 45
Paul Samuelson7 decades - 46
Denis Thatchernot measured- - 47
Jeong Ju-yungnot measured- - 48
Terence Youngnot measured- - 49
Mao Anyingnot measured- - 50
Herman Wouknot measured- - 51
John Vorsternot measured- - 52
Norman Wisdomnot measured- - 53
Alice Fayenot measured- - 54
Elisabeth Schwarzkopfnot measured- - 55
Khushwant Singhnot measured- - 56
John Profumonot measured- - 57
Kon Ichikawanot measured- - 58
Gary Merrillnot measured- - 59
Willie Dixonnot measured- - 60
Santiago Carrillonot measured- - 61
Barbara Billingsleynot measured- - 62
Laurent Schwartznot measured- - 63
Gretl Braunnot measured- - 64
Alan Lomaxnot measured- - 65
Hanns Martin Schleyernot measured- - 66
Princess Lilian, Duchess of Hallandnot measured- - 67
William Hoppernot measured- - 68
Ghulam Ishaq Khannot measured- - 69
Vladimir Zeldinnot measured- - 70
Eddie Brackennot measured- - 71
Ross Macdonaldnot measured- - 72
Jerome Brunernot measured- - 73
Abba Ebannot measured- - 74
General Soedirmannot measured- - 75
Frère Rogernot measured- - 76
M. F. Husainnot measured- - 77
Patrick Leigh Fermornot measured- - 78
John Randolphnot measured- - 79
Albert O. Hirschmannot measured- - 80
Salvatore Giulianonot measured- - 81
Leigh Brackettnot measured- - 82
Peter Medawar5 decades - 83
Mariano Rumornot measured- - 84
Ewan MacCollnot measured- - 85
Fernando Lamasnot measured- - 86
Billy Strayhornnot measured- - 87
Nguyen Van Linhnot measured- - 88
John C. Lillynot measured- - 89
Marie-Louise von Franznot measured- - 90
Barnard Hughesnot measured- - 91
Stu Hartnot measured- - 92
Alice Bradley Sheldonnot measured- - 93
Boris Andreyevnot measured- - 94
Mario Del Monaconot measured- - 95
Robert A. Dahlnot measured- - 96
Priscilla Lanenot measured-
- 97
Modibo Keïtanot measured- - 98
Wee Kim Weenot measured- - 99Robert Monroenot measured-
- 100
John Tukeynot 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.