Historical figures in New Jersey

The atlas holds 10 people and 10 moments here, from 1772 to 2011. The most recorded lives are Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Sarah Bernhardt. Among them Writers, Performers and Engineers and Inventors, across the Cold War and the Enlightenment.

Notable people

  1. Alexander Hamilton

    in 1772

    1 moment here

    American statesman, lawyer, revolutionary officer, constitutional convention delegate, and first U.S. secretary of the treasury.…

  2. Carl Sagan

    in 1948

    1 moment here

    American astronomer, planetary scientist, educator, author, and science communicator. Sagan studied at the University of Chicago, held appointments…

  3. Henry David Thoreau

    in 1856

    1 moment here

    American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher associated with transcendentalism. Thoreau lived chiefly in and around Concord, Massachusetts,…

  4. John Adams

    in 1776

    1 moment here

    American lawyer, revolutionary leader, diplomat, first vice president of the United States, and second U.S. president.…

  5. Maxim Gorky

    in 1906

    1 moment here

    Aleksey Maksimovich Peshkov, known as Maxim Gorky, was a Russian and Soviet writer, journalist, publisher, and political activist.…

  6. Nikola Tesla

    in 1885

    1 moment here

    Serbian-American engineer and inventor best known for foundational work on alternating-current power systems, the induction motor, high-frequency…

  7. Sarah Bernhardt

    in 1880

    1 moment here

    French stage and early film actress, born Henriette-Rosine Bernard in Paris. Bernhardt became an international theatrical star through performances…

  8. Thomas Edison

    in 1876

    1 moment here

    American inventor and industrialist whose laboratories developed and commercialized technologies in telegraphy, recorded sound, electric lighting and…

  9. Toni Morrison

    in 2011

    1 moment here

    Toni Morrison (Chloe Ardelia Wofford) was an American novelist, editor, and professor whose career moved through Ohio, Washington, D.C., New York,…

  10. Whitney Houston

    in 1981

    1 moment here

    American singer, actress, producer, and cultural icon known for recordings including “I Will Always Love You,” major world tours, film roles, and…

Moments

  1. 1772 Study at Elizabethtown Academy Alexander Hamilton
  2. 1776 Staten Island Peace Conference John Adams
  3. 1856 Eagleswood arrival and surveying Henry David Thoreau
  4. 1876 Moves to Menlo Park laboratory Thomas Edison
  5. 1880 Visit with Thomas Edison Sarah Bernhardt
  6. 1885 Arc-lighting installation Nikola Tesla
  7. 1906 Stay on Staten Island Maxim Gorky
  8. 1948 Move to Rahway and high-school attendance Carl Sagan
  9. 1981 Move to Woodbridge Township Whitney Houston
  10. 2011 Rutgers commencement address Toni Morrison

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