London in the Cold War
The atlas holds 92 people and 193 moments here, from 1947 to 1991. The most recorded lives are Freddie Mercury, Diana, Princess of Wales and Margaret Thatcher.
Notable people
Abdus Salam
from 1957 to 1974
2 moments here
Pakistani theoretical physicist and 1979 Nobel Prize laureate whose career connected education in Punjab and Cambridge with professorships in Lahore…
Alan Turing
in 1950
1 moment here
English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computing pioneer. Turing studied at Cambridge and Princeton, worked at Bletchley Park during the…
Alfred Hitchcock
from 1950 to 1972
2 moments here
English filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980), known as the “Master of Suspense,” worked in British cinema before relocating to Hollywood in 1939.…
Aretha Franklin
from 1968 to 1980
4 moments here
American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil-rights activist known as the “Queen of Soul.” Her documented movements span childhood relocations…
Audrey Hepburn
from 1948 to 1950
3 moments here
British actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn (Audrey Kathleen Ruston) was born in Brussels, raised across Belgium, England and the Netherlands,…
Aung San
in 1947
1 moment here
Burmese independence leader, political organizer, and military commander. Aung San helped found the Burma Independence Army, led the anti-Japanese…
Benazir Bhutto
in 1984
1 moment here
Pakistani political leader who served twice as prime minister, from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996.…
Bertrand Russell
from 1948 to 1961
3 moments here
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, was an English philosopher, mathematician, logician, writer, and public campaigner.…
Bob Marley
from 1972 to 1978
5 moments here
Jamaican singer, songwriter and guitarist whose work with the Wailers made reggae an international musical force.…
Brigitte Bardot
in 1968
1 moment here
French actress, singer, model, and animal-rights activist. Born and raised in Paris, Bardot became an international film star in the 1950s and 1960s…
Carlos Fuentes
in 1985
1 moment here
Carlos Fuentes Macías was a Mexican novelist, essayist, public intellectual, and diplomat. Born in Panama City to a Mexican diplomat, he spent…
Carl Sagan
in 1977
1 moment here
American astronomer, planetary scientist, educator, author, and science communicator. Sagan studied at the University of Chicago, held appointments…
Carrie Fisher
in 1973
1 moment here
Carrie Frances Fisher was an American actress, writer, and public advocate, internationally known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films.…
Charlie Chaplin
from 1973 to 1975
2 moments here
English actor, comedian, director, writer, producer and composer whose screen persona, the Tramp, became an international icon.…
Chinua Achebe
in 1956
1 moment here
Nigerian novelist, poet, critic, editor, educator, and Biafran representative whose life moved between southeastern Nigeria, Lagos, East Africa,…
Daniel arap Moi
from 1960 to 1979
2 moments here
Kenyan teacher and politician who served as Kenya’s vice president from 1967 to 1978 and its second president from 1978 to 2002.…
Desmond Tutu
from 1962 to 1981
3 moments here
South African Anglican bishop, theologian, anti-apartheid activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop of Cape Town, and chair of South Africa’s…
Diana, Princess of Wales
from 1967 to 1989
8 moments here
Diana Frances Spencer (1961–1997) was Princess of Wales from 1981 until her divorce in 1996.…
Doris Lessing
from 1949 to 1952
2 moments here
British novelist Doris May Lessing was born in Kermanshah, Iran, grew up in Southern Rhodesia, and moved to London in 1949.…
Douglas Adams
from 1952 to 1991
4 moments here
English author, screenwriter and humourist best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.…
Elizabeth II
from 1947 to 1982
5 moments here
Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death.…
Elizabeth Taylor
from 1952 to 1982
4 moments here
British-American actress and HIV/AIDS activist. Born in London, Taylor moved to Southern California in 1939, became a major Hollywood star, worked…
Eusébio
in 1966
1 moment here
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (1942–2014) was a Portuguese footballer, born in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), who became Benfica's record goalscorer and…
Freddie Mercury
from 1964 to 1991
14 moments here
Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara) was a British singer, songwriter, pianist, and lead vocalist of Queen.…
Moments
- 1947 Aung San–Attlee negotiations Aung San
- 1947 In London during world tour Pridi Banomyong
- 1947 Olivier's investiture at Buckingham Palace Vivien Leigh
- 1947 Married at Westminster Abbey Elizabeth II
- 1948 Move to London for Ballet Rambert Audrey Hepburn
- 1948 West End debut at the London Hippodrome Audrey Hepburn
- 1948 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference Jawaharlal Nehru
- 1948 Westminster School nuclear speech Bertrand Russell
- 1949 Move to London with Peter Lessing Doris Lessing
- 1949 Final hospitalization at University College Hospital George Orwell
- 1949 Look photographer at Sadler's Wells Stanley Kubrick
- 1949 London opening of A Streetcar Named Desire Vivien Leigh
- 1950 Stage Fright filming in London Alfred Hitchcock
- 1950 Dancer at Ciro's London Audrey Hepburn
- 1950 Death at University College Hospital George Orwell
- 1950 Early DNA diffraction photographs Maurice Wilkins
- 1950 London business assignment Satyajit Ray
- 1950 Ratio Club introductory talk Alan Turing
- 1951 Steroid synthesis at NIMR, Mill Hill John Cornforth
- 1951 Festival of Britain visit Julius Nyerere
- 1951 Cleopatra repertory at St James's Theatre Vivien Leigh
- 1951 London Palladium comeback Judy Garland
- 1952 Family move to the East End Douglas Adams
- 1952 Moved into Buckingham Palace as Queen Elizabeth II
- 1952 The Millionairess in London's West End Katharine Hepburn
- 1952 Marriage to Michael Wilding Elizabeth Taylor
- 1952 Return to London from the Soviet Union Doris Lessing
- 1952 British Council visitorship Julius Nyerere
- 1953 Moved to the Royal Institution Lawrence Bragg
- 1953 Photo 51 shown to Watson Maurice Wilkins
- 1953 Called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
- 1953 DNA talk at Guy's Hospital Medical School Lawrence Bragg
- 1953 Crowned at Westminster Abbey Elizabeth II
- 1954 Move to London V. S. Naipaul
- 1954 BBC Caribbean Voices employment V. S. Naipaul
- 1955 Kilburn home and marriage V. S. Naipaul
- 1956 BBC staff training Chinua Achebe
- 1956 First LP recorded in London Ravi Shankar
- 1956 Merdeka Mission enters Lancaster House Tunku Abdul Rahman
- 1956 Signing the Treaty of London Tunku Abdul Rahman
- 1956 Constitutional talks delegation Lee Kuan Yew
- 1957 Professor at Imperial College Abdus Salam
- 1957 Visit to London Gabriel García Márquez
- 1957 London School of Economics studies Mwai Kibaki
- 1957 Kensington Court Gardens home T. S. Eliot
- 1957 Marriage to Valerie Fletcher T. S. Eliot
- 1957 Streatham Hill residence V. S. Naipaul
- 1957 Second constitutional talks delegation Lee Kuan Yew
- 1957 International PEN Executive Committee in London Yasunari Kawabata
- 1958 Move to London and drama-school training Olivia Hussey