Historical figures in New York City

The atlas holds 76 people and 219 moments here, from 1776 to 2023. The most recorded lives are Nikola Tesla, Whitney Houston and Mark Twain. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Performers, across the Space Age and the Cold War.

Notable people

1. 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…

2. Whitney Houston

   from 1978 to 2001

   11 moments here

   American singer, actress, producer, and cultural icon known for recordings including “I Will Always Love You,” major world tours, film roles, and…

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. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

   from 1904 to 1944

   8 moments here

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

5. 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.…

6. Albert Einstein

   from 1921 to 1930

   6 moments here

   German-born theoretical physicist who transformed modern physics through special and general relativity, foundational work on quantum theory, and…

7. Charles Dickens

   from 1842 to 1868

   6 moments here

   English novelist, journalist, editor, social reformer, actor and celebrated public reader. This chronology traces documented residences, workplaces,…

8. Helen Keller

   from 1894 to 1947

   6 moments here

   Helen Adams Keller was an American deafblind author, lecturer, disability-rights advocate, and political activist.…

9. Judy Garland

   from 1939 to 1967

   6 moments here

   American actress, singer, and vaudevillian, born Frances Ethel Gumm. Garland rose from childhood vaudeville and MGM musical films to become a major…

10. 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.…

11. Frida Kahlo

    from 1931 to 1945

    5 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.…

12. George Washington

    from 1776 to 1789

    4 moments here

    George Washington was a Virginia surveyor, planter, military commander, revolutionary leader, constitutional statesman, and the first president of…

13. Charlie Chaplin

    from 1918 to 1952

    4 moments here

    English actor, comedian, director, writer, producer and composer whose screen persona, the Tramp, became an international icon.…

14. Thomas Edison

    from 1869 to 1886

    4 moments here

    American inventor and industrialist whose laboratories developed and commercialized technologies in telegraphy, recorded sound, electric lighting and…

15. 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.…

16. James Madison

    from 1785 to 1789

    4 moments here

    James Madison (1751–1836) was a Virginia planter, revolutionary politician, delegate to the Continental and Confederation congresses, architect of…

17. Gabriela Mistral

    from 1924 to 1955

    4 moments here

    Chilean poet, educator, journalist, and diplomat born Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. Mistral taught across Chile, worked on Mexican educational reform,…

18. Carrie Fisher

    from 1973 to 2009

    4 moments here

    Carrie Frances Fisher was an American actress, writer, and public advocate, internationally known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films.…

19. 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,…

20. Winston Churchill

    from 1895 to 1953

    3 moments here

    Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874–1965) was a British soldier, journalist, author and statesman whose career ranged from imperial campaigns in…

21. John F. Kennedy

    from 1927 to 1962

    3 moments here

    John Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American naval officer, journalist, congressman, senator, and the 35th president of the United States.…

22. Fidel Castro

    from 1960 to 2000

    3 moments here

    Cuban revolutionary and political leader who led the 26th of July Movement against Fulgencio Batista, became Cuba's prime minister in 1959, and later…

23. Henry Ford

    from 1915 to 1916

    3 moments here

    American industrialist and founder of Ford Motor Company. Ford grew up in rural Michigan, worked in Detroit engineering and machine shops, developed…

24. 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,…

Moments

1. 1776 Watches the battle from Fort Lee George Washington
2. 1783 Bids farewell at Fraunces Tavern George Washington
3. 1785 Journey onward to New York James Madison
4. 1787 Congressional business after the convention James Madison
5. 1788 Return to New York after Virginia ratification James Madison
6. 1789 Arrives in New York George Washington
7. 1789 Takes the oath at Federal Hall George Washington
8. 1789 Began vice presidency John Adams
9. 1789 First Congress in New York James Madison
10. 1807 Visits New York City Simón Bolívar
11. 1831 Departure for New York Edgar Allan Poe
12. 1842 Attends the Boz Ball Charles Dickens
13. 1842 Departs New York for England Charles Dickens
14. 1846 Fordham cottage residence Edgar Allan Poe
15. 1853 Leaves Hannibal for New York Mark Twain
16. 1858 Birth at Roosevelt family home Theodore Roosevelt
17. 1860 Delivered the Cooper Union address Abraham Lincoln
18. 1861 Received crowds in New York City Abraham Lincoln
19. 1867 Arrival in New York Jules Verne
20. 1867 Stays at the Westminster Hotel Mark Twain
21. 1867 Departs New York aboard Quaker City Mark Twain
22. 1867 Returns to New York from the Quaker City voyage Mark Twain
23. 1867 Reads at Steinway Hall Charles Dickens
24. 1868 Reads at Plymouth Church Charles Dickens
25. 1868 Departs New York aboard Russia Charles Dickens
26. 1868 Gives final American reading Charles Dickens
27. 1869 Moves to New York City Thomas Edison
28. 1873 Lectures at Steinway Hall Mark Twain
29. 1878 Demonstrates phonograph at Mount St. Vincent Thomas Edison
30. 1880 Returned to New York for Columbia Law School Theodore Roosevelt
31. 1880 Arrival in New York Sarah Bernhardt
32. 1880 Adrienne Lecouvreur at Booth's Theatre Sarah Bernhardt
33. 1881 Takes up residence in Manhattan Thomas Edison
34. 1882 Arrival in New York on SS Arizona Oscar Wilde
35. 1883 Return to New York for Vera Oscar Wilde
36. 1884 Emigration and Edison Machine Works Nikola Tesla
37. 1886 Works at Harrison lamp factory Thomas Edison
38. 1887 Tesla Electric Company laboratory Nikola Tesla
39. 1889 Grand Street laboratory Nikola Tesla
40. 1891 Wireless-lighting lecture Nikola Tesla
41. 1891 Arrival in New York Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
42. 1891 Carnegie Hall opening concert Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
43. 1891 Conducting the Piano Concerto in New York Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
44. 1892 South Fifth Avenue laboratory Nikola Tesla
45. 1893 Rents a room at The Players Mark Twain
46. 1894 Visits Nikola Tesla's laboratory Mark Twain
47. 1894 Visit to Bedloe's Island Helen Keller
48. 1894 Wright-Humason School studies Helen Keller
49. 1895 East Houston Street laboratory Nikola Tesla
50. 1895 New York City Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt

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