Historical figures in Brussels
The atlas holds 25 people and 42 moments here, from 1493 to 2019. The most recorded lives are Victor Hugo, Albert Einstein and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Scientists, across the Industrial Revolution and the Space Age.
Notable people
Victor Hugo
from 1837 to 1871
5 moments here
French Romantic poet, novelist, dramatist, artist, activist, and politician. This chronology traces documented physical presences from his mobile…
Albert Einstein
from 1911 to 1930
3 moments here
German-born theoretical physicist who transformed modern physics through special and general relativity, foundational work on quantum theory, and…
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
from 1515 to 1555
3 moments here
Charles V (1500–1558), also Charles I of Spain, was Holy Roman Emperor, king of Spain, and ruler of the Habsburg Netherlands.…
Karl Marx
from 1845 to 1848
2 moments here
German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Born in Trier, Marx studied in Bonn and Berlin, worked in Cologne, and…
Ronald Reagan
from 1985 to 1988
2 moments here
American broadcaster, actor, labor leader, governor of California, and 40th president of the United States.…
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
in 1763
2 moments here
Austrian composer and performer of the Classical era. Born in Salzburg, Mozart toured Europe as a child prodigy, made three formative journeys to…
Vincent van Gogh
from 1878 to 1880
2 moments here
Dutch Post-Impressionist painter whose documented movements trace a path from a Brabant childhood through work and religious study in the…
Voltaire
from 1722 to 1739
2 moments here
François-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, dramatist, and philosopher.…
Friedrich Engels
from 1845 to 1848
2 moments here
German philosopher, political theorist, revolutionary socialist, businessman, and Karl Marx’s lifelong collaborator.…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
from 1822 to 1827
2 moments here
German philosopher and a central figure of German idealism. His documented movements include formative study in Stuttgart and Tübingen; tutoring…
Charles Baudelaire
in 1864
2 moments here
French poet, essayist, translator, and art critic, best known for Les Fleurs du mal. Baudelaire lived chiefly in Paris, spent formative school years…
Desiderius Erasmus
from 1493 to 1521
2 moments here
Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, theologian, editor, and author. Erasmus was born in the Burgundian Netherlands, educated in the Low…
Napoleon Bonaparte
in 1815
1 moment here
French military commander and statesman who rose during the French Revolution, became First Consul in 1799, and ruled as Emperor of the French in…
Winston Churchill
in 1894
1 moment here
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874–1965) was a British soldier, journalist, author and statesman whose career ranged from imperial campaigns in…
Marie Curie
in 1911
1 moment here
Polish-born, naturalized-French physicist and chemist who pioneered research on radioactivity. With Pierre Curie she discovered polonium and radium.…
Lord Byron
in 1816
1 moment here
George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron (1788–1824), was a British poet, peer, and political speaker.…
Mikhail Gorbachev
in 1972
1 moment here
Soviet and Russian politician who led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991.…
George H. W. Bush
in 1989
1 moment here
George Herbert Walker Bush was an American naval aviator, oil executive, congressman, diplomat, director of central intelligence, vice president, and…
Sarah Bernhardt
in 1864
1 moment here
French stage and early film actress, born Henriette-Rosine Bernard in Paris. Bernhardt became an international theatrical star through performances…
Jawaharlal Nehru
in 1927
1 moment here
Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and statesman who became independent India’s first prime minister, serving from 15 August 1947 until his…
Albrecht Dürer
in 1520
1 moment here
German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the Northern Renaissance. Born and died in Nuremberg, Dürer trained there before traveling through the…
Kofi Annan
in 2005
1 moment here
Ghanaian diplomat and statesman who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006.…
Alexandre Dumas
in 1851
1 moment here
French novelist, playwright, journalist, and travel writer, also known as Alexandre Dumas père.…
Ernest Rutherford
in 1911
1 moment here
New Zealand-born physicist and chemist whose research on radioactivity, the atomic nucleus, and nuclear transmutation helped establish nuclear…
Moments
- 1493 Departure from Stein for Brabant Desiderius Erasmus
- 1515 Assumption of rule in the Netherlands Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1520 Visit to Brussels Albrecht Dürer
- 1521 Residence at De Swaene Desiderius Erasmus
- 1554 Abdication of Naples, Sicily, and Milan Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1555 Public abdication before the States General Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1722 Meets Rousseau in Brussels Voltaire
- 1739 Lives largely in Brussels Voltaire
- 1763 Arrives in Brussels Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- 1763 Performs before Charles of Lorraine Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- 1815 Commands at Waterloo Napoleon Bonaparte
- 1816 Journey through Belgium Lord Byron
- 1822 First Brussels visit Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- 1827 Return visit to Brussels Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- 1837 Travels through Belgium Victor Hugo
- 1845 Move to Brussels Friedrich Engels
- 1845 Moves into exile in Brussels Karl Marx
- 1848 Flight and arrest Friedrich Engels
- 1848 Arrested in Brussels Karl Marx
- 1851 Exile in Brussels Alexandre Dumas
- 1851 Flees into exile in Brussels Victor Hugo
- 1852 Lives at the Maison du Pigeon Victor Hugo
- 1862 Returns to Brussels for Les Misérables Victor Hugo
- 1864 Residence at Hôtel du Grand Miroir Charles Baudelaire
- 1864 Stay in Brussels Sarah Bernhardt
- 1864 Departure for Belgium Charles Baudelaire
- 1871 Expelled from Belgium Victor Hugo
- 1878 Trains as an evangelist in Laeken Vincent van Gogh
- 1880 Studies art in Brussels Vincent van Gogh
- 1894 Visits Waterloo battlefield Winston Churchill
- 1911 Attends the first Solvay Conference Marie Curie
- 1911 Attends first Solvay Conference Albert Einstein
- 1911 First Solvay Conference Ernest Rutherford
- 1927 Congress of Oppressed Nationalities Jawaharlal Nehru
- 1927 Attends fifth Solvay Conference Albert Einstein
- 1930 Attends sixth Solvay Conference Albert Einstein
- 1972 Visit to Belgium Mikhail Gorbachev
- 1985 Briefs NATO in Brussels Ronald Reagan
- 1988 Attends Brussels NATO summit Ronald Reagan
- 1989 NATO summit in Brussels George H. W. Bush
- 2005 International Conference on Iraq Kofi Annan
- 2019 China-EU summit Li Keqiang