Historical figures in Berlin
The atlas holds 83 people and 155 moments here, from 1698 to 2020. The most recorded lives are Rosa Luxemburg, Adolf Hitler and Marlene Dietrich. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Educators, across the Space Age and the Interwar Period.
Notable people
Le Corbusier
in 1910
1 moment here
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, painter, writer, and urban planner.…
Leonhard Euler
from 1741 to 1753
2 moments here
Swiss mathematician, physicist, astronomer, engineer, and polymath. Euler’s documented life moved from Basel and nearby Riehen to Saint Petersburg,…
Li Keqiang
in 2013
1 moment here
Chinese politician and economist who rose from rural labour in Anhui through the Communist Youth League, led Henan and Liaoning, served as vice…
Ludwig van Beethoven
in 1796
1 moment here
German composer and pianist whose life was centered first in Bonn and, from 1792, in Vienna.…
Ludwig Wittgenstein
in 1906
1 moment here
Austro-British philosopher whose work in logic, language, mathematics, and mind shaped twentieth-century analytic philosophy.…
Mark Twain
in 1891
1 moment here
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, journalist, lecturer, riverboat pilot, and traveler.…
Marlene Dietrich
from 1901 to 1960
7 moments here
German-American actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (Marie Magdalene Dietrich) was born in Berlin and achieved international fame through stage,…
Maxim Gorky
in 1921
1 moment here
Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov, known as Maxim Gorky, was a Russian and Soviet writer, journalist, publisher, and political activist.…
Max Planck
from 1877 to 1931
4 moments here
German theoretical physicist and originator of quantum theory. Planck’s documented life moved from Kiel to Munich, Berlin, Kiel again, and Berlin,…
Max Weber
from 1869 to 1891
3 moments here
German sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economist whose work on rationalisation, bureaucracy, religion, capitalism, and social action…
Mikhail Gorbachev
from 1966 to 1989
3 moments here
Soviet and Russian politician who led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991.…
Muhammadu Buhari
in 2016
1 moment here
Nigerian army officer, military head of state from 1983 to 1985, and elected president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023.…
Otto von Bismarck
from 1833 to 1884
6 moments here
Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian and German statesman, diplomat, and the first chancellor of the German Empire.…
Pablo Neruda
in 1951
1 moment here
Chilean poet, diplomat, senator, Communist political figure, and 1971 Nobel laureate. Born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, he lived and…
Pope Benedict XVI
in 2011
1 moment here
Joseph Alois Ratzinger (1927–2022), Pope Benedict XVI, was a German Catholic theologian, archbishop, cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the…
Prajadhipok
in 1934
1 moment here
Prajadhipok (Rama VII) was King of Siam from 1925 until his abdication in 1935. Educated in England and trained in the military, he travelled…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
in 1861
1 moment here
Russian Romantic composer whose career ranged from civil-service work and conservatory teaching in Saint Petersburg and Moscow to international…
Richard Nixon
from 1963 to 1969
2 moments here
Richard Milhous Nixon was an American lawyer, naval officer, congressman, senator, vice president, and the 37th president of the United States.…
Robin Warren
in 1997
1 moment here
Australian pathologist whose observations of curved bacteria in gastric biopsies and subsequent collaboration with Barry Marshall transformed…
Ronald Reagan
from 1982 to 1990
3 moments here
American broadcaster, actor, labor leader, governor of California, and 40th president of the United States.…
Rosa Luxemburg
from 1898 to 1919
9 moments here
Polish-born, naturalised-German Marxist theorist, socialist organiser, anti-war activist, and revolutionary.…
Samora Machel
in 1983
1 moment here
Mozambican revolutionary and FRELIMO leader who became the first president of independent Mozambique in 1975.…
Satyendra Nath Bose
in 1925
1 moment here
Indian theoretical physicist and mathematician whose 1924 work founded Bose-Einstein statistics.…
Sebastián Piñera
in 2010
1 moment here
Chilean economist, businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022.…
Moments
- 1933 Appears at Reich Chancellery after appointment Adolf Hitler
- 1933 Study year at the French Institute in Berlin Jean-Paul Sartre
- 1933 Speaks for the Enabling Act Adolf Hitler
- 1934 Meeting at Berlin Tempelhof Airport Prajadhipok
- 1936 Opens Berlin Olympic Games Adolf Hitler
- 1937 European journey: Berlin Claude Simon
- 1937 Official visit to Berlin Benito Mussolini
- 1939 Observed prewar Berlin John F. Kennedy
- 1941 Addresses Reichstag after declaring war on US Adolf Hitler
- 1943 Berlin tour departure Édith Piaf
- 1945 Last filmed public appearance in Chancellery garden Adolf Hitler
- 1945 Dies in Führerbunker Adolf Hitler
- 1945 Visit to her mother Marlene Dietrich
- 1946 Return to Berlin Willy Brandt
- 1950 Congress for Cultural Freedom founding conference Bertrand Russell
- 1951 Meeting with Matilde Urrutia in Berlin Pablo Neruda
- 1956 Arrives at Berlin Ostbahnhof Diego Rivera
- 1956 State visit to East Berlin Kim Il Sung
- 1959 Golden Lion at Berlin Film Festival Dalida
- 1960 Titania Palast appearance Marlene Dietrich
- 1962 10,000-metre performance Abebe Bikila
- 1963 Declared solidarity with West Berlin John F. Kennedy
- 1963 Kennedy visit to Rathaus Schöneberg Willy Brandt
- 1963 Crossing divided Berlin Richard Nixon
- 1966 Delegation visit to East Germany Mikhail Gorbachev
- 1969 Address in West Berlin Richard Nixon
- 1975 Honorary guest at the Berlinale Claudia Cardinale
- 1978 West Berlin Airlift Memorial speech Jimmy Carter
- 1979 Group leader in Berlin Ada Yonath
- 1981 State visit at Brandenburg Gate José Eduardo dos Santos
- 1982 Berlinale jury presidency Joan Fontaine
- 1982 Visits West Berlin Ronald Reagan
- 1983 Meeting with Margot Honecker in Berlin Samora Machel
- 1984 State visit to East Berlin in 1984 Kim Il Sung
- 1986 Socialist Unity Party congress Mikhail Gorbachev
- 1987 Challenges Gorbachev at Berlin Wall Ronald Reagan
- 1989 GDR fortieth-anniversary visit Mikhail Gorbachev
- 1990 Tours Brandenburg Gate and Wall Ronald Reagan
- 1994 Berlin Lecture on Molecular Medicine Sydney Brenner
- 1994 Berlin International Film Festival juror Chinghiz Aitmatov
- 1997 Guest speaker in Berlin Robin Warren
- 1999 Lecture at Haus der Kulturen der Welt Kenzaburō Ōe
- 2002 Honorary Golden Bear ceremony Claudia Cardinale
- 2005 Opening speech at International Literature Festival Berlin Carlos Fuentes
- 2006 Candy press conference at Berlinale Heath Ledger
- 2007 Meeting Angela Merkel Shinzo Abe
- 2007 Meeting with President Hu Jintao Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
- 2010 Meeting Angela Merkel Sebastián Piñera
- 2011 State visit to Berlin Pope Benedict XVI
- 2011 Trade and investment visit José Mujica