Historical figures in New York City

The atlas holds 252 people and 669 moments here, from 1772 to 2023. The most recorded lives are Nikola Tesla, Andy Warhol and Isaac Asimov. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Performers, across the Space Age and the Cold War.

Notable people

1. Marie Curie

   in 1921

   4 moments here

   Polish-born, naturalized-French physicist and chemist who pioneered research on radioactivity. With Pierre Curie she discovered polonium and radium.…

2. Marilyn Monroe

   in 1962

   1 moment here

   American actress and model born Norma Jeane Mortenson. This chronology maps verified places where Monroe lived, worked, traveled, performed, filmed,…

3. Mark Twain

   from 1853 to 1905

   10 moments here

   Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, journalist, lecturer, riverboat pilot, and traveler.…

4. Marlene Dietrich

   from 1944 to 1968

   3 moments here

   German-American actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (Marie Magdalene Dietrich) was born in Berlin and achieved international fame through stage,…

5. Marlon Brando

   from 1943 to 1973

   5 moments here

   American actor and activist whose stage and screen career ranged from Broadway in the 1940s to major films through the early 2000s.…

6. Martin Luther King Jr.

   from 1958 to 1967

   5 moments here

   American Baptist minister and civil-rights leader who advanced racial equality through nonviolent protest.…

7. 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.…

8. Max Planck

   in 1909

   1 moment here

   German theoretical physicist and originator of quantum theory. Planck’s documented life moved from Kiel to Munich, Berlin, Kiel again, and Berlin,…

9. Max Theiler

   from 1930 to 1945

   3 moments here

   South African-American virologist and physician whose work at Harvard, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Yale contributed to the development of the 17D…

10. Max Weber

    in 1904

    1 moment here

    German sociologist, historian, jurist, and political economist whose work on rationalisation, bureaucracy, religion, capitalism, and social action…

11. Maya Angelou

    from 1959 to 1967

    4 moments here

    American memoirist, poet, performer, educator, and civil-rights activist. Her documented life moved from Missouri and Arkansas to California and New…

12. Mercedes Sosa

    from 1986 to 1995

    3 moments here

    Argentine folk singer and leading exponent of the nuevo cancionero movement, internationally known for interpreting Latin American popular song and…

13. Michael Jackson

    in 2001

    1 moment here

    American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist whose career began with the Jackson 5 and developed into global solo stardom.…

14. Mikhail Gorbachev

    in 1988

    1 moment here

    Soviet and Russian politician who led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991.…

15. Millard Fillmore

    from 1849 to 1856

    2 moments here

    Millard Fillmore was an American lawyer and politician from western New York who served in the New York Assembly, the U.S.…

16. Miriam Makeba

    from 1959 to 1975

    5 moments here

    South African singer, songwriter, actor, and anti-apartheid activist known as “Mama Africa.” Makeba’s career took her from Johannesburg and Pretoria…

17. Muammar Gaddafi

    in 2009

    1 moment here

    Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician, and political theorist who ruled Libya from the 1969 coup until his overthrow and killing during…

18. Muhammad Ali

    from 1963 to 1985

    4 moments here

    Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.) was an American boxer, activist, humanitarian, and global cultural figure.…

19. Muhammadu Buhari

    from 2015 to 2021

    3 moments here

    Nigerian army officer, military head of state from 1983 to 1985, and elected president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023.…

20. Mwai Kibaki

    from 2005 to 2010

    2 moments here

    Kenyan economist and politician who served as Kenya’s third president from 2002 to 2013. This chronology records documented physical presence from…

21. Neil Armstrong

    in 1969

    1 moment here

    American naval aviator, research test pilot, NASA astronaut, aerospace administrator, and professor.…

22. Nelson Mandela

    from 1990 to 1993

    3 moments here

    South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, lawyer and statesman. Mandela helped lead the African National Congress, co-founded its armed wing,…

23. Néstor Kirchner

    from 2004 to 2006

    2 moments here

    Argentine lawyer and Peronist politician. Kirchner was mayor of Río Gallegos, governor of Santa Cruz Province, president of Argentina from 2003 to…

24. Nikita Khrushchev

    from 1959 to 1960

    2 moments here

    Soviet Communist Party leader and chairman of the Council of Ministers. Khrushchev rose from industrial work in the Donbas through party posts in…

Moments

1. 1952 The Millionairess opens on Broadway Katharine Hepburn
2. 1953 Visits Eisenhower and Truman in the United States Winston Churchill
3. 1953 Chile delegate at the UN Commission on the Status of Women Gabriela Mistral
4. 1953 Atoms for Peace address Dwight D. Eisenhower
5. 1954 Broadway run of Ondine Audrey Hepburn
6. 1955 Killer's Kiss shooting in Times Square Stanley Kubrick
7. 1955 Meeting Dag Hammarskjöld in New York Saint-John Perse
8. 1955 Attendance at UN human-rights message reading Gabriela Mistral
9. 1956 Carnegie Hall triumph Édith Piaf
10. 1957 Second Carnegie Hall performance Édith Piaf
11. 1957 Addressed the United Nations Elizabeth II
12. 1957 UN Sixth Committee address Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
13. 1958 Stabbed at Harlem book signing Martin Luther King Jr.
14. 1959 Waldorf Astoria performances Édith Piaf
15. 1959 Explorer of the Year banquet Edmund Hillary
16. 1959 Move to New York for writing Maya Angelou
17. 1959 Greenwich Village residence Miriam Makeba
18. 1959 Returns from India through New York Martin Luther King Jr.
19. 1959 Metropolitan Opera House concert run Judy Garland
20. 1959 New York City visit Nikita Khrushchev
21. 1960 Lexington Avenue residence and studio Andy Warhol
22. 1960 Move to New York for recording career Aretha Franklin
23. 1960 Performance at Benny Goodman's New York home Bhumibol Adulyadej
24. 1960 Filming BUtterfield 8 in New York Elizabeth Taylor
25. 1960 New York office and departure for Spain Ernest Hemingway
26. 1960 United Nations Security Council address Golda Meir
27. 1960 United Nations mission Patrice Lumumba
28. 1960 Meeting Gamal Abdel Nasser at the United Nations Dwight D. Eisenhower
29. 1960 United Nations annual session Fidel Castro
30. 1960 Fifteenth UN General Assembly Gamal Abdel Nasser
31. 1960 Fidel Castro visit at Hotel Theresa Maya Angelou
32. 1960 United Nations General Assembly Nikita Khrushchev
33. 1960 Address to the UN General Assembly Jawaharlal Nehru
34. 1960 Joined the split-screen third debate John F. Kennedy
35. 1961 Prensa Latina posting in New York Gabriel García Márquez
36. 1961 The Blacks at St. Mark's Playhouse Maya Angelou
37. 1961 Judy at Carnegie Hall Judy Garland
38. 1962 First United Nations testimony Miriam Makeba
39. 1962 Kennedy birthday performance Miriam Makeba
40. 1962 Celebrated birthday at Madison Square Garden John F. Kennedy
41. 1962 Sang for President Kennedy at Madison Square Garden Marilyn Monroe
42. 1962 Death at East 74th Street home Eleanor Roosevelt
43. 1963 Works at the East 87th Street firehouse studio Andy Warhol
44. 1963 Doug Jones fight Muhammad Ali
45. 1963 Tovarich opens on Broadway Vivien Leigh
46. 1963 Address to the United Nations General Assembly Haile Selassie
47. 1964 Moves into the Silver Factory Andy Warhol
48. 1964 Englewood residence with Hugh Masekela Miriam Makeba
49. 1964 Ed Sullivan Show debut John Lennon
50. 1964 Lectures at the New School Martin Luther King Jr.

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