From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sub-project of WikiProject Biography
This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference. Either the page is no longer relevant or consensus on its purpose has become unclear. To revive discussion, seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump .
This page was developed by the Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography as a list of the most important biographies in Wikipedia, to have a work list of articles to improve. Any such list is subjective and will not find universal agreement.
This was used as a worklist for the Version 1.0 Editorial Team. The worklist can be found at Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Biographies . It is essentially a work list for anyone who chooses to use it. The main idea is to pick an article towards the bottom of the list e.g. at C-class and bring it to as close to featured status as possible. Criteria for inclusion is below and must meet the definition for Top.
For placement on this list, consider the following criteria.
Top/Core - Must have had a large impact outside of their main discipline, across several generations, and in the majority of the world. For instance, Einstein, brilliant physicist, but his theories have affected people outside of physics and in many other countries besides his nation of origin and several generations. His ideas have changed the way people think. No member should give this rating to any biography without first getting Project approval from the other members.
For an understanding of how "Top" relates to potential lower-importance categories, keep this in mind, as it might help decide if a biography is really "Top" or "High," etc.:
High - Must have had a large impact in their main discipline, across a couple of generations. Had some impact outside their country of origin.
Mid - Important in their discipline
Low - A contributor to their discipline and is included in Wikipedia to expand depth of knowledge of other articles.
The following list is transcluded from Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography/Core biographies/list
Name
Date of birth
Date of death
Age
Country of birth
Country of death
Occupation
Aeschylus
c. 525 BC
c. 456 BC
68–69
Greece
Italy
Writer
Akbar
October 24, 1542
October 12, 1605
62
Pakistan
India
Politician
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi
780
850
69–70
Uzbekistan
Iraq
Scientist
Alexander the Great
July 20, 356 BC
June 10, 323 BC
32
Greece
Iraq
Politician
Muhammad Ali
January 17, 1942
June 3, 2016
74
United States
United States
Athlete
Thomas Aquinas
January 28, 1225
March 7, 1274
49
Italy
Italy
Theologian
Archimedes
c. 287 BC
c. 212 BC
74–75
Italy
Italy
Scientist
Aristotle
384 BC
322 BC
61–62
Greece
Greece
Philosopher
Attila
c. 406
453
46–47
Hungary
Hungary
Politician
W. H. Auden
February 21, 1907
September 29, 1973
66
United Kingdom
Austria
Writer
Augustine of Hippo
November 13, 354
August 28, 430
75
Algeria
Algeria
Theologian
Augustus
January 16, 63 BC
August 19, 14
77
Italy
Italy
Politician
Jane Austen
December 16, 1775
July 18, 1817
41
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Writer
Charles Babbage
December 26, 1791
October 18, 1871
79
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Johann Sebastian Bach
March 21, 1685
July 28, 1750
65
Germany
Germany
Artist
Francis Bacon
January 22, 1561
April 9, 1626
65
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Philosopher
Mikhail Baryshnikov
January 28, 1948
—
76
Russia
—
Artist
The Beatles
February 25, 1943
December 8, 1980
37
United Kingdom
United States
Artist
Ludwig van Beethoven
December 16, 1770
March 26, 1827
56
Germany
Austria
Artist
Alexander Graham Bell
March 3, 1847
August 2, 1922
75
United Kingdom
Canada
Scientist
Otto von Bismarck
April 1, 1815
July 30, 1898
83
Germany
Germany
Politician
Simón Bolívar
July 24, 1783
December 17, 1830
47
Venezuela
Colombia
Politician
Jorge Luis Borges
August 24, 1899
June 14, 1986
86
Argentina
Switzerland
Writer
Gautama Buddha
c. 563 BC
c. 483 BC
79–80
Nepal
India
Theologian
Edmund Burke
January 12, 1729
July 9, 1797
68
Ireland
United Kingdom
Philosopher
Lord Byron
January 22, 1788
April 19, 1824
36
United Kingdom
Greece
Writer
Julius Caesar
July 12, 100 BC
March 15, 44 BC
55
Italy
Italy
Politician
Cai Lun
c. 50 AD
121
70–71
China
China
Scientist
John Calvin
July 10, 1509
May 27, 1564
54
France
Switzerland
Theologian
Catherine the Great
April 21, 1729
November 17, 1796
67
Poland
Russia
Politician
Miguel de Cervantes
September 29, 1547
April 23, 1616
68
Spain
Spain
Writer
Charlemagne
April 2, 742
January 28, 814
71
Belgium
Germany
Politician
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
February 24, 1500
September 21, 1558
58
Belgium
Spain
Politician
Charlie Chaplin
April 16, 1889
December 25, 1977
88
United Kingdom
Switzerland
Artist
Christopher Columbus
August 1451
May 20, 1506
54–55
Italy
Spain
Politician
Winston Churchill
November 30, 1874
January 24, 1965
90
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Politician
Cleopatra
January 69 BC
August 12, 30 BC
38–39
Egypt
Egypt
Politician
Confucius
September 28, 551 BC
479 BC
71–72
China
China
Philosopher
Constantine the Great
February 27, 272
May 22, 337
65
Serbia
Turkey
Politician
Nicolaus Copernicus
February 19, 1473
May 24, 1543
70
Poland
Poland
Scientist
Hernán Cortés
1485
December 2, 1547
61–62
Spain
Spain
Politician
Marie Curie
November 7, 1867
July 4, 1934
66
Poland
France
Scientist
Cyrus the Great
c. 600 BC
530 BC
69–70
Iran
Uzbekistan
Politician
Louis Daguerre
November 18, 1787
July 10, 1851
63
France
France
Scientist
Dante Alighieri
May 14, 1265
September 13, 1321
56
Italy
Italy
Writer
Charles Darwin
February 12, 1809
April 19, 1882
73
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
René Descartes
March 31, 1596
February 11, 1650
53
France
Sweden
Philosopher
Charles Dickens
February 7, 1812
June 9, 1870
58
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Writer
Walt Disney
December 5, 1901
December 15, 1966
65
United States
United States
Artist
Fyodor Dostoevsky
November 11, 1821
February 9, 1881
59
Russia
Russia
Writer
Frederick Douglass
February 1818
February 20, 1895
76–77
United States
United States
Politician
Thomas Edison
February 11, 1847
October 18, 1931
84
United States
United States
Scientist
Albert Einstein
March 14, 1879
April 18, 1955
76
Germany
United States
Scientist
T. S. Eliot
September 26, 1888
January 4, 1965
76
United States
United Kingdom
Writer
Elizabeth I
September 7, 1533
March 24, 1603
69
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Politician
Euclid
c. 325 BC
c. 265 BC
59–60
Egypt
Egypt
Scientist
Leonhard Euler
April 15, 1707
September 18, 1783
76
Switzerland
Russia
Scientist
Michael Faraday
September 22, 1791
August 25, 1867
75
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Pierre de Fermat
August 17, 1601
January 12, 1665
63
France
France
Scientist
Alexander Fleming
August 6, 1881
March 11, 1955
73
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Henry Ford
July 30, 1863
April 7, 1947
83
United States
United States
Scientist
Francis of Assisi
September 26, 1181
October 3, 1226
45
Italy
Italy
Theologian
Benjamin Franklin
January 17, 1706
April 17, 1790
84
United States
United States
Politician
Frederick the Great
January 24, 1712
August 17, 1786
74
Germany
Germany
Politician
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
December 26, 1194
December 13, 1250
55
Italy
Italy
Politician
Sigmund Freud
May 6, 1856
September 23, 1939
83
Czech Republic
United Kingdom
Scientist
Galileo Galilei
February 15, 1564
January 8, 1642
77
Italy
Italy
Scientist
Mahatma Gandhi
October 2, 1869
January 30, 1948
78
India
India
Politician
Carl Friedrich Gauss
April 30, 1777
February 23, 1855
77
Germany
Germany
Scientist
Genghis Khan
c. 1162
1227
64–65
Mongolia
China
Politician
Edward Gibbon
April 27, 1737
January 16, 1794
56
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Politician
Giotto
1267
January 8, 1337
69–70
Italy
Italy
Artist
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
August 28, 1749
March 22, 1832
82
Germany
Germany
Writer
Mikhail Gorbachev
March 2, 1931
August 30, 2022
91
Russia
Russia
Politician
Brothers Grimm
February 24, 1786
December 16, 1859
73
Germany
Germany
Writer
Che Guevara
May 14, 1928
October 9, 1967
39
Argentina
Bolivia
Politician
Johannes Gutenberg
c. 1395
February 3, 1468
72–73
Germany
Germany
Scientist
Hammurabi
c. 1810 BC
1750 BC
59–60
Iraq
Iraq
Politician
Hannibal
247 BC
183 BC
63–64
Tunisia
Turkey
Politician
Stephen Hawking
January 8, 1942
March 14, 2018
76
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Ernest Hemingway
July 21, 1899
July 2, 1961
61
United States
United States
Writer
Henry II of England
March 25, 1133
July 6, 1189
56
France
France
Politician
Henry VIII
June 28, 1491
January 28, 1547
55
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Politician
Herodotus
c. 484 BC
c. 425 BC
58–59
Turkey
Italy
Writer
Hippocrates
c. 460 BC
c. 370 BC
89–90
Greece
Greece
Scientist
Alfred Hitchcock
August 13, 1899
April 29, 1980
80
United Kingdom
United States
Artist
Adolf Hitler
April 20, 1889
April 30, 1945
56
Austria
Germany
Politician
Ho Chi Minh
May 19, 1890
September 2, 1969
79
Vietnam
Vietnam
Politician
Thomas Hobbes
April 5, 1588
December 4, 1679
91
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Philosopher
Homer
c. 800 BC
c. 750 BC
49–50
Turkey
Greece
Writer
Victor Hugo
February 26, 1802
May 22, 1885
83
France
France
Writer
David Hume
April 26, 1711
August 25, 1776
65
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Philosopher
Henrik Ibsen
March 20, 1828
May 23, 1906
78
Norway
Norway
Writer
Ivan the Terrible
August 25, 1530
March 18, 1584
53
Russia
Russia
Politician
Michael Jackson
August 29, 1958
June 25, 2009
50
United States
United States
Artist
Thomas Jefferson
April 13, 1743
July 4, 1826
83
United States
United States
Politician
Jesus
4 BC
29
32–33
Israel
Israel
Theologian
Joan of Arc
c. 1412
May 30, 1431
18–19
France
France
Theologian
Michael Jordan
February 17, 1963
—
61
United States
—
Athlete
James Joyce
February 2, 1882
January 13, 1941
58
Ireland
Switzerland
Writer
Franz Kafka
July 3, 1883
June 3, 1924
40
Austria
Austria
Writer
Immanuel Kant
April 22, 1724
February 12, 1804
79
Germany
Germany
Philosopher
Johannes Kepler
December 27, 1571
November 15, 1630
58
Germany
Germany
Scientist
John Maynard Keynes
June 5, 1883
April 21, 1946
62
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Søren Kierkegaard
May 5, 1813
November 11, 1855
42
Denmark
Denmark
Philosopher
Martin Luther King Jr.
January 15, 1929
April 4, 1968
39
United States
United States
Theologian
Akira Kurosawa
March 23, 1910
September 6, 1998
88
Japan
Japan
Artist
Laozi
c. 604 BC
c. 531 BC
72–73
China
China
Philosopher
Antoine Lavoisier
August 26, 1743
May 8, 1794
50
France
France
Scientist
Bruce Lee
November 27, 1940
July 20, 1973
32
United States
China
Artist
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
July 1, 1646
November 14, 1716
70
Germany
Germany
Philosopher
Vladimir Lenin
April 10, 1870
January 21, 1924
53
Russia
Russia
Politician
Leonardo da Vinci
April 15, 1452
May 2, 1519
67
Italy
France
Artist
Abraham Lincoln
February 12, 1809
April 15, 1865
56
United States
United States
Politician
Carl Linnaeus
May 13, 1707
January 10, 1778
70
Sweden
Sweden
Scientist
Joseph Lister
April 5, 1827
February 10, 1912
84
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
John Locke
August 29, 1632
October 28, 1704
72
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Philosopher
Louis XIV
September 5, 1638
September 1, 1715
76
France
France
Politician
Martin Luther
November 10, 1483
February 18, 1546
62
Germany
Germany
Theologian
Niccolò Machiavelli
May 3, 1469
June 21, 1527
58
Italy
Italy
Philosopher
Ferdinand Magellan
1480
April 27, 1521
40–41
Portugal
Philippines
Politician
Thomas Robert Malthus
February 13, 1766
December 23, 1834
68
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Nelson Mandela
June 18, 1918
December 5, 2013
95
South Africa
South Africa
Politician
Mao Zedong
December 26, 1893
September 9, 1976
82
China
China
Politician
Guglielmo Marconi
April 25, 1874
July 20, 1937
63
Italy
Italy
Scientist
Karl Marx
May 5, 1818
March 14, 1883
64
Germany
United Kingdom
Philosopher
James Clerk Maxwell
June 13, 1831
November 5, 1879
48
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Gregor Mendel
July 20, 1822
January 6, 1884
61
Austria
Austria
Scientist
Michelangelo
March 6, 1475
February 18, 1564
88
Italy
Italy
Artist
John Milton
December 9, 1608
November 8, 1674
65
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Artist
Claude Monet
November 14, 1840
December 5, 1926
86
France
France
Artist
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
January 27, 1756
December 5, 1791
35
Austria
Czech Republic
Artist
Muhammad
c. 570
June 8, 632
61–62
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Theologian
Benito Mussolini
July 29, 1883
April 28, 1945
61
Italy
Italy
Politician
Napoleon
August 15, 1769
May 5, 1821
51
France
United Kingdom
Politician
Isaac Newton
January 4, 1643
March 31, 1727
84
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Friedrich Nietzsche
October 15, 1844
August 25, 1900
55
Germany
Germany
Philosopher
J. Robert Oppenheimer
April 22, 1904
February 18, 1967
62
United States
United States
Scientist
Jesse Owens
September 12, 1913
March 31, 1980
66
United States
United States
Athlete
Blaise Pascal
June 19, 1623
August 19, 1662
39
France
France
Scientist
Louis Pasteur
December 27, 1822
September 28, 1895
72
France
France
Scientist
Paul the Apostle
c. 5 AD
c. 67 AD
61–62
Turkey
Italy
Theologian
Linus Pauling
February 28, 1901
August 19, 1994
93
United States
United States
Scientist
Pelé
October 23, 1940
December 29, 2022
82
Brazil
Brazil
Athlete
Peter the Great
May 30, 1672
February 8, 1725
52
Russia
Russia
Politician
Philip II of Spain
May 21, 1527
September 13, 1598
71
Spain
Spain
Politician
Pablo Picasso
October 25, 1881
April 8, 1973
91
Spain
France
Artist
Max Planck
April 23, 1858
October 4, 1947
89
Germany
Germany
Scientist
Plato
c. 427 BC
c. 347 BC
79–80
Greece
Greece
Philosopher
Edgar Allan Poe
January 19, 1809
October 7, 1849
40
United States
United States
Writer
Marco Polo
September 15, 1254
January 9, 1324
69
Italy
Italy
Politician
Ezra Pound
October 30, 1885
November 1, 1972
87
United States
Italy
Writer
Elvis Presley
January 8, 1935
August 16, 1977
42
United States
United States
Artist
Marcel Proust
July 10, 1871
November 18, 1922
51
France
France
Writer
Ptolemy
c. 90 AD
c. 168 AD
77–78
Egypt
Egypt
Scientist
Pythagoras
c. 570 BC
c. 495 BC
74–75
Greece
Italy
Scientist
Qin Shi Huang
February 7, 260 BC
August 10, 210 BC
50
China
China
Politician
Raphael
April 6, 1483
April 6, 1520
37
Italy
Italy
Artist
Rembrandt
July 15, 1606
October 4, 1669
63
Netherlands
Netherlands
Artist
Jackie Robinson
January 31, 1919
October 24, 1972
53
United States
United States
Athlete
Auguste Rodin
November 12, 1840
November 17, 1917
77
France
France
Artist
Franklin D. Roosevelt
January 30, 1882
April 12, 1945
63
United States
United States
Politician
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
June 28, 1712
July 2, 1778
66
Switzerland
France
Philosopher
Babe Ruth
February 6, 1895
August 16, 1948
53
United States
United States
Athlete
Ernest Rutherford
August 30, 1871
October 19, 1937
66
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Scientist
Saladin
1138
March 4, 1193
54–55
Iraq
Syria
Politician
Margaret Sanger
September 14, 1879
September 6, 1966
86
United States
United States
Politician
Walter Scott
August 15, 1771
September 21, 1832
61
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Writer
Shaka
c. 1787
c. 1828
40–41
South Africa
South Africa
Politician
William Shakespeare
April 26, 1564
April 23, 1616
51
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Writer
Adam Smith
June 5, 1723
July 17, 1790
67
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Philosopher
Socrates
c. 470 BC
399 BC
70–71
Greece
Greece
Philosopher
Joseph Stalin
December 18, 1878
March 5, 1953
74
Russia
Russia
Politician
Suleiman the Magnificent
November 6, 1494
September 5, 1566
71
Turkey
Hungary
Politician
Sun Tzu
544 BC
496 BC
47–48
China
China
Writer
Emperor Taizong of Tang
January 28, 598
July 10, 649
51
China
China
Politician
Mother Teresa
August 26, 1910
September 5, 1997
87
North Macedonia
India
Theologian
Nikola Tesla
July 10, 1856
January 7, 1943
86
Croatia
United States
Scientist
Henry David Thoreau
July 12, 1817
May 6, 1862
44
United States
United States
Writer
Thucydides
c. 460 BC
c. 395 BC
64–65
Greece
Greece
Writer
Timur
1336
February 19, 1405
68–69
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Politician
Leo Tolstoy
August 28, 1828
November 20, 1910
82
Russia
Russia
Writer
Mark Twain
November 30, 1835
April 21, 1910
74
United States
United States
Writer
Vincent van Gogh
March 30, 1853
July 29, 1890
37
Netherlands
France
Artist
Giuseppe Verdi
October 9, 1813
January 27, 1901
87
Italy
Italy
Artist
Virgil
October 15, 70 BC
September 21, 19 BC
50
Italy
Italy
Writer
Voltaire
November 21, 1694
May 30, 1778
83
France
France
Writer
Andy Warhol
August 6, 1928
February 22, 1987
58
United States
United States
Artist
George Washington
February 22, 1732
December 14, 1799
67
United States
United States
Politician
James Watt
January 19, 1736
August 19, 1819
83
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Scientist
Max Weber
April 21, 1864
June 14, 1920
56
Germany
Germany
Writer
Walt Whitman
May 31, 1819
March 26, 1892
72
United States
United States
Writer
William the Conqueror
c. 1028
September 9, 1087
58–59
France
France
Politician
William Wordsworth
April 7, 1770
April 23, 1850
80
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Writer
Mary Wollstonecraft
April 27, 1759
September 10, 1797
38
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Writer
Wright brothers
August 19, 1871
May 30, 1912
40
United States
United States
Scientist
Frank Lloyd Wright
June 8, 1867
April 9, 1959
91
United States
United States
Artist
W. B. Yeats
June 13, 1865
January 28, 1939
73
Ireland
France
Writer
Zheng He
1371
1433
61–62
China
China
Politician
Zoroaster
c. 628 BC
c. 551 BC
76–77
Uzbekistan
Afghanistan
Theologian
The following table is transcluded from User:WP 1.0 bot/Tables/Project/Biography (core)
See WikiProject Biography/Assessment for guidance on assessing the quality of biography articles.
Biography (core) pages by quality
Quality
Total
FA
35
A
1
GA
40
B
95
C
29
Assessed
200
Total
200
WikiWork factors (? )
ω = 482
Ω = 2.41
Purge
A list of all subpages belonging to
Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography/Core biographies :