Historical figures in San Francisco

The atlas holds 73 people and 138 moments here, from 1852 to 2024. The most recorded lives are Steve Jobs, Jack London and Robin Williams. Among them Writers, Performers and Political Leaders, across the Space Age and the Cold War.

Notable people

1. Akira Kurosawa

   in 1978

   1 moment here

   Japanese filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, editor, and painter. Kurosawa directed 30 feature films between 1943 and 1993, including Rashomon, Seven…

2. Alfred Deakin

   in 1915

   1 moment here

   Australian barrister, journalist, federation advocate and Australia’s second prime minister.…

3. Amelia Earhart

   from 1935 to 1937

   2 moments here

   American aviator and author. Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas, became a leading aviation pioneer, crossed the Atlantic as a passenger in 1928,…

4. Anthony Quinn

   from 1969 to 2000

   2 moments here

   Mexican-American actor, painter, sculptor, writer, and civil-rights supporter Anthony Quinn (Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca) worked in film,…

5. Aretha Franklin

   in 1971

   1 moment here

   American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil-rights activist known as the “Queen of Soul.” Her documented movements span childhood relocations…

6. Bruce Lee

   from 1940 to 1964

   4 moments here

   Bruce Lee (Lee Jun-fan) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and founder of Jeet Kune Do.…

7. Carl Sagan

   in 1960

   1 moment here

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

8. Carrie Fisher

   in 2008

   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.…

9. Chien-Shiung Wu

   from 1936 to 1940

   3 moments here

   Chinese-American experimental physicist whose career moved from Jiangsu and eastern China to California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,…

10. Christiaan Barnard

    in 1968

    1 moment here

    South African cardiac surgeon who led the team that performed the first successful human-to-human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape…

11. Desmond Tutu

    in 2008

    1 moment here

    South African Anglican bishop, theologian, anti-apartheid activist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop of Cape Town, and chair of South Africa’s…

12. Diego Rivera

    from 1930 to 1940

    3 moments here

    Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera was a central figure in Mexican muralism. His documented movements include study in Mexico and Europe, work…

13. Dolores del Río

    in 1981

    1 moment here

    Mexican actress Dolores del Río (María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete) was a major star of silent-era Hollywood and the Golden Age of…

14. Douglas Adams

    from 1996 to 2001

    2 moments here

    English author, screenwriter and humourist best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.…

15. Dwight D. Eisenhower

    in 1964

    1 moment here

    Dwight D. Eisenhower was a United States Army officer, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II, and the 34th president of the United…

16. Félix Houphouët-Boigny

    in 1973

    1 moment here

    Ivorian physician and politician who became the first president of Côte d’Ivoire, serving from independence in 1960 until his death in 1993.…

17. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    in 1932

    1 moment here

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as New York state senator, assistant secretary of the Navy,…

18. Frida Kahlo

    from 1930 to 1940

    2 moments here

    Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón) was born in Coyoacán and spent much of her life in Mexico City.…

19. George Bernard Shaw

    in 1933

    1 moment here

    Irish playwright, critic, polemicist, and political activist. Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876, became a leading Fabian and dramatist,…

20. Gerald Ford

    from 1935 to 1976

    3 moments here

    Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 after having served as…

21. Harry S. Truman

    from 1945 to 1950

    2 moments here

    Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953.…

22. Hideki Yukawa

    from 1939 to 1948

    2 moments here

    Japanese theoretical physicist and the first Japanese Nobel laureate, awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Physics for predicting mesons.…

23. I. M. Pei

    in 1935

    1 moment here

    Ieoh Ming Pei was a Chinese-American architect whose work ranged from U.S. civic and cultural buildings to major projects in China, France, and the…

24. Jack London

    from 1876 to 1916

    13 moments here

    American novelist, journalist, sailor, war correspondent, and socialist activist. Born John Griffith Chaney in San Francisco, he grew up around the…

Moments

1. 1852 Arrival at San Francisco Ulysses S. Grant
2. 1864 Moves to San Francisco Mark Twain
3. 1868 Finishes The Innocents Abroad in San Francisco Mark Twain
4. 1876 Birth near Third and Brannan Streets Jack London
5. 1876 Travel to San Francisco Pedro II of Brazil
6. 1878 Health journey to San Francisco Liliʻuokalani
7. 1878 Visits San Francisco on western journey Thomas Edison
8. 1879 Family relocation to Oakland Jack London
9. 1879 Return to San Francisco Ulysses S. Grant
10. 1881 Childhood at the Davenport place Jack London
11. 1882 Visit to San Francisco Oscar Wilde
12. 1886 Oakland Public Library visit Jack London
13. 1887 Golden Jubilee delegation lands in San Francisco Liliʻuokalani
14. 1888 Arrival in San Francisco José Rizal
15. 1889 Beginning North American travels Rudyard Kipling
16. 1891 Oyster-pirate work on San Francisco Bay Jack London
17. 1892 Return to Oakland from Benicia Jack London
18. 1895 Oakland High School attendance Jack London
19. 1896 University study at Berkeley Jack London
20. 1898 Return from Yukon to Oakland Jack London
21. 1900 Establishing Vedanta Society in San Francisco Swami Vivekananda
22. 1904 Detention after landing in San Francisco Sun Yat-sen
23. 1906 Recital for San Quentin inmates Sarah Bernhardt
24. 1906 Earthquake reportage in San Francisco Jack London
25. 1906 Tour of earthquake ruins Sarah Bernhardt
26. 1906 Performance at the Hearst Greek Theatre Sarah Bernhardt
27. 1907 Departure aboard the Snark Jack London
28. 1909 Return to Oakland from Australia Jack London
29. 1910 Arrival in San Francisco Sun Yat-sen
30. 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition Alfred Deakin
31. 1915 Attends Panama-Pacific Exposition Thomas Edison
32. 1916 Return to San Francisco on Matsonia Jack London
33. 1916 San Francisco lecture stay Rabindranath Tagore
34. 1919 Family arrival in San Francisco Olivia de Havilland
35. 1919 Family break in San Francisco Sergei Rachmaninoff
36. 1923 Death at the Palace Hotel Warren G. Harding
37. 1930 Move to San Francisco Frida Kahlo
38. 1930 Arrives in San Francisco Diego Rivera
39. 1931 Paints at the California School of Fine Arts Diego Rivera
40. 1932 Campaign address in San Francisco Franklin Delano Roosevelt
41. 1933 Arrival in San Francisco George Bernard Shaw
42. 1935 Honolulu-to-Oakland solo flight arrival Amelia Earhart
43. 1935 East–West Shrine Game Gerald Ford
44. 1935 Arrival in San Francisco I. M. Pei
45. 1936 Arrival in San Francisco Chien-Shiung Wu
46. 1936 Graduate enrollment at Berkeley Chien-Shiung Wu
47. 1937 First world-flight attempt departure Amelia Earhart
48. 1939 Departure from San Francisco Hideki Yukawa
49. 1940 Doctorate at UC Berkeley Chien-Shiung Wu
50. 1940 Paints Pan American Unity on Treasure Island Diego Rivera

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