Historical figures in Rome
The atlas holds 173 people and 384 moments here, from 211 BC to 2025. The most recorded lives are Augustus, Galileo Galilei and Michelangelo. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Philosophers, across the Space Age and the Cold War.
Notable people
Olivia de Havilland
in 1962
1 moment here
Olivia de Havilland was a British-American-French actress whose career ranged from California community theatre and Warner Bros.…
Olivia Hussey
in 1967
1 moment here
British actress born in Argentina, best known for playing Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film Romeo and Juliet.…
Oscar Wilde
in 1877
1 moment here
Irish author, poet, playwright, critic, and leading figure in late nineteenth-century aestheticism.…
Ovid
in 8
1 moment here
Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid) was a Roman poet born at Sulmo. Educated in Rome, he later travelled in Greece, Asia Minor, and Sicily, though the…
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…
Pablo Picasso
in 1917
1 moment here
Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and co-founder of Cubism. Born in Málaga, Picasso trained in A Coruña, Barcelona, and Madrid…
Paul the Apostle
from 60 to 64
2 moments here
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was a first-century Jewish Christian apostle and missionary. The chronology below follows the traditional reconstruction used…
Paul Walker
in 2011
1 moment here
Paul William Walker IV was an American actor best known for playing Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise.…
Peter Paul Rubens
from 1601 to 1606
2 moments here
Flemish Baroque painter, designer, humanist, collector, and diplomat. Rubens was born at Siegen, spent formative years in Cologne and Antwerp, worked…
Petrarch
from 1337 to 1350
3 moments here
Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) was an Italian scholar, poet, cleric, diplomat, and foundational humanist.…
Pliny the Elder
from 64 to 67
2 moments here
Gaius Plinius Secundus, known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, military commander, and imperial procurator.…
Plotinus
in 244
1 moment here
Plotinus was a Greek-speaking philosopher from Roman Egypt and the foundational figure of Neoplatonism.…
Plutarch
in 70
1 moment here
Greek Platonist philosopher, biographer, essayist, magistrate, and Delphic priest. He was born at Chaeronea between 45 and 47 CE and died after 119…
Pompey
in 81 BC
1 moment here
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, known as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic.…
Pope Benedict XVI
from 1981 to 2022
5 moments here
Joseph Alois Ratzinger (1927–2022), Pope Benedict XVI, was a German Catholic theologian, archbishop, cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the…
Pope Francis
from 2001 to 2025
7 moments here
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, was an Argentine Jesuit priest, archbishop of Buenos Aires, cardinal, and head of the Catholic Church and…
Pope Gregory III
from 731 to 741
4 moments here
Syrian-born bishop of Rome and pope from 731 until 741. His documented physical-presence record is concentrated in Rome, where he presided over…
Pope Gregory V
from 996 to 999
6 moments here
Gregory V, born Bruno of Carinthia, was pope from 996 until 999. A cousin and former chaplain of Emperor Otto III, he was elected in Rome, crowned…
Pope John Paul II
from 1946 to 2005
9 moments here
Karol Józef Wojtyła (1920–2005), Pope John Paul II from 1978, was a Polish Catholic priest, bishop, cardinal, and pope.…
Pope Paul III
from 1486 to 1549
6 moments here
Alessandro Farnese, Pope Paul III, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1534 until 1549.…
Pope Sisinnius
in 708
1 moment here
Syrian-born bishop of Rome whose early life and exact birthplace are unknown. His pontificate lasted from 15 January to 4 February 708; the surviving…
Porfirio Díaz
in 1913
1 moment here
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican general and politician who led Mexico from 1876 to 1880 and from 1884 until his overthrow in 1911.…
Rabindranath Tagore
in 1926
1 moment here
Bengali poet, novelist, dramatist, composer, painter, philosopher, social reformer, and educationist.…
Raphael
from 1506 to 1520
8 moments here
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known as Raphael, was an Italian High Renaissance painter and architect.…
Moments
- 1936 Proclamation of the Italian Empire Benito Mussolini
- 1938 Refuge in Rome Erwin Schrödinger
- 1938 Arrives in Rome Adolf Hitler
- 1939 Sapienza enrollment Federico Fellini
- 1940 Rome apartment with family Federico Fellini
- 1940 War declaration against Britain and France Benito Mussolini
- 1944 Funny Face Shop Federico Fellini
- 1944 At British Embassy in Rome Winston Churchill
- 1946 Postwar visit to Rome Helen Keller
- 1946 Studies at the Angelicum Pope John Paul II
- 1947 Audience with Pope Pius XII Eva Perón
- 1948 Travels to Rome Salvador Dalí
- 1949 Meets Pope Pius XII Salvador Dalí
- 1950 Audience with Pope Pius XII Ngô Đình Diệm
- 1950 Holy Year journey to Rome Ngô Đình Diệm
- 1951 Peace Congress in Rome Pablo Neruda
- 1953 Mille Miglia through Rome Juan Manuel Fangio
- 1953 Brief exile in Rome Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
- 1955 Visit to FAO headquarters Eleanor Roosevelt
- 1955 Film study in Rome Gabriel García Márquez
- 1955 Mille Miglia at Rome Juan Manuel Fangio
- 1955 Italy leg of diplomatic tour William Faulkner
- 1956 Witness to helicopter event Federico Fellini
- 1957 Studies at the Experimental Cinematography Centre Claudia Cardinale
- 1959 Second Congress of Black Writers and Artists Léopold Sédar Senghor
- 1959 La Dolce Vita production begins Federico Fellini
- 1960 Barefoot Olympic marathon victory Abebe Bikila
- 1960 Olympic gold medal Muhammad Ali
- 1962 Cleopatra scene with Richard Burton Elizabeth Taylor
- 1962 Light in the Piazza filming in Rome Olivia de Havilland
- 1962 Italian journey with Réa Karavas Claude Simon
- 1962 8½ production crisis and continuation Federico Fellini
- 1962 Second Vatican Council participation Pope John Paul II
- 1963 Met Italian leaders in Rome John F. Kennedy
- 1963 Met Pope Paul VI John F. Kennedy
- 1965 Meetings in Rome Jiddu Krishnamurti
- 1966 RAI set meeting with Luigi Tenco Dalida
- 1967 Filming The Taming of the Shrew Elizabeth Taylor
- 1967 Filming Romeo and Juliet at Cinecittà Olivia Hussey
- 1967 Friendly against Italy Eusébio
- 1967 International tour performance in Rome Mercedes Sosa
- 1967 State visit to Italy Olav V
- 1967 Created cardinal Pope John Paul II
- 1969 Appearance in Rome Brigitte Bardot
- 1969 Audience with Pope Paul VI Richard Nixon
- 1970 Rome solidarity conference Agostinho Neto
- 1970 Meeting with Pope Paul VI Haile Selassie
- 1970 Official visit to Rome Richard Nixon
- 1970 Visit to Rome Willy Brandt
- 1971 Delegation visit to Italy Mikhail Gorbachev