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
Nikola Tesla
from 1884 to 1943
14 moments here
Serbian-American engineer and inventor best known for foundational work on alternating-current power systems, the induction motor, high-frequency…
Norodom Sihanouk
from 1961 to 1979
2 moments here
Cambodian monarch, politician, and cultural figure who was king (1941–1955; 1993–2004), prime minister, chief of state, and leader in exile.…
Olivia de Havilland
from 1939 to 1998
5 moments here
Olivia de Havilland was a British-American-French actress whose career ranged from California community theatre and Warner Bros.…
Oscar Wilde
from 1882 to 1883
2 moments here
Irish author, poet, playwright, critic, and leading figure in late nineteenth-century aestheticism.…
Pablo Neruda
from 1943 to 1966
2 moments here
Chilean poet, diplomat, senator, Communist political figure, and 1971 Nobel laureate. Born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto, he lived and…
Pearl S. Buck
in 1932
1 moment here
American writer, humanitarian, and activist whose life was divided between the United States and China before she became an internationally prominent…
Pelé
from 1975 to 1977
3 moments here
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé, was a Brazilian footballer who starred for Santos, Brazil and the New York Cosmos.…
P. L. Travers
from 1940 to 1964
2 moments here
Pamela Lyndon Travers, born Helen Lyndon Goff, was an Australian-British writer, actress, journalist, and creator of the Mary Poppins books.…
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
in 1891
3 moments here
Russian Romantic composer whose career ranged from civil-service work and conservatory teaching in Saint Petersburg and Moscow to international…
Rafael Orozco Maestre
in 1981
1 moment here
Colombian vallenato singer and songwriter, co-founder and lead singer of Binomio de Oro with accordionist Israel Romero.…
Rajiv Gandhi
from 1985 to 1988
2 moments here
Rajiv Gandhi was an Indian aircraft pilot and politician who served as prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989.…
Ralph Waldo Emerson
in 1833
1 moment here
American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, Unitarian minister, poet, abolitionist, and leading figure in Transcendentalism.…
Ravi Shankar
from 1971 to 2000
2 moments here
Indian sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar (1920–2012) was a leading exponent of Hindustani classical music whose performances, teaching, recordings,…
Richard Feynman
in 1942
1 moment here
American theoretical physicist known for foundational work in quantum electrodynamics, the path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics, and…
Richard Nixon
from 1952 to 1994
3 moments here
Richard Milhous Nixon was an American lawyer, naval officer, congressman, senator, vice president, and the 37th president of the United States.…
Robin Williams
from 1973 to 2011
7 moments here
Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor and comedian, born in Chicago and raised in Illinois, Michigan, and California.…
Ronald Reagan
from 1944 to 1979
2 moments here
American broadcaster, actor, labor leader, governor of California, and 40th president of the United States.…
Salvador Dalí
in 1934
1 moment here
Spanish painter, sculptor, writer, designer, filmmaker, and leading exponent of Surrealism. Born in Figueres, Dalí trained in Madrid, joined the…
Sarah Bernhardt
from 1880 to 1910
3 moments here
French stage and early film actress, born Henriette-Rosine Bernard in Paris. Bernhardt became an international theatrical star through performances…
Satyajit Ray
in 1981
1 moment here
Indian film director, screenwriter, author, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. Ray was born and died in Calcutta (now Kolkata), made his career…
Sebastián Piñera
from 2010 to 2021
4 moments here
Chilean economist, businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022.…
Sergei Rachmaninoff
from 1909 to 1943
5 moments here
Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Born in the Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire, he studied and worked chiefly in Saint…
Shinzo Abe
from 2013 to 2015
2 moments here
Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020.…
Sigmund Freud
in 1909
2 moments here
Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis. This chronology traces documented locations from his Moravian birthplace and Viennese education…
Moments
- 1964 Meeting with Arthur C. Clarke Stanley Kubrick
- 1964 Death in New York City Herbert Hoover
- 1964 Departure from New York for world tour Che Guevara
- 1964 United Nations address Che Guevara
- 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act signing Lyndon B. Johnson
- 1966 Delmonico Hotel multimedia performance Andy Warhol
- 1966 Public talks in New York City Jiddu Krishnamurti
- 1966 UNCTAD work in New York Manmohan Singh
- 1966 Harvey Lecture in New York Dorothy Hodgkin
- 1966 United States readings and PEN meetings Pablo Neruda
- 1966 Paint-your-own-dress demonstration Andy Warhol
- 1967 First Broadway engagement Marlene Dietrich
- 1967 Return to New York Maya Angelou
- 1967 Random House transfer Toni Morrison
- 1967 Addresses antiwar march at United Nations Martin Luther King Jr.
- 1967 Delivers “Beyond Vietnam” Martin Luther King Jr.
- 1967 Return to the Palace Theatre Judy Garland
- 1967 Ed Sullivan Show performance Jim Morrison
- 1967 Visit to United Nations Headquarters Lee Kuan Yew
- 1967 Felt Forum appearances Judy Garland
- 1968 Jam session in the Bronx Bob Marley
- 1968 Second Broadway engagement Marlene Dietrich
- 1968 Walk through Harlem after King's assassination Marlon Brando
- 1968 Shot at the Factory Andy Warhol
- 1968 Conversation in Greenwich Village Kenzaburō Ōe
- 1968 United Nations General Assembly appearance Indira Gandhi
- 1968 Death in Manhattan John Steinbeck
- 1969 Move to New York City Igor Stravinsky
- 1969 Apollo 11 ticker-tape parade Neil Armstrong
- 1969 Broadway run of Coco begins Katharine Hepburn
- 1970 Return to Manhattan's Upper West Side Isaac Asimov
- 1970 Special UN General Assembly session Indira Gandhi
- 1970 Bonavena fight Muhammad Ali
- 1971 Non-Aligned ministers' conference in New York Abdelaziz Bouteflika
- 1971 United Nations Security Council visit with her father Benazir Bhutto
- 1971 Talk at Town Hall Jiddu Krishnamurti
- 1971 Honorary doctorate at Columbia University Jorge Luis Borges
- 1971 Adjunct Professor of Writing at Columbia University Nadine Gordimer
- 1971 Carnegie Hall recording Tina Turner
- 1971 Final Waldorf-Astoria engagement begins Louis Armstrong
- 1971 Fight of the Century Muhammad Ali
- 1971 Death on Fifth Avenue Igor Stravinsky
- 1971 Birth in East Harlem Tupac Shakur
- 1971 Death at home in Corona Louis Armstrong
- 1971 Move to New York City John Lennon
- 1971 Concert for Bangladesh performance Ravi Shankar
- 1971 United Nations General Assembly work George H. W. Bush
- 1971 UN Security Council appearance during East Pakistan crisis Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
- 1972 Talks at Carnegie Hall Jiddu Krishnamurti
- 1972 Visit to New York Jorge Luis Borges