Writers in Oxford
The atlas holds 21 people and 35 moments here, from 1492 to 1992. The most recorded lives are J. R. R. Tolkien, John Locke and Rabindranath Tagore.
Notable people
J. R. R. Tolkien
from 1911 to 1972
10 moments here
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English philologist, university professor, and author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.…
John Locke
from 1652 to 1681
3 moments here
English philosopher, physician, and political writer. Locke was born in Somerset, educated in London and Oxford, served Lord Shaftesbury in London,…
Rabindranath Tagore
from 1920 to 1930
2 moments here
Bengali poet, novelist, dramatist, composer, painter, philosopher, social reformer, and educationist.…
Adam Smith
in 1740
2 moments here
Scottish moral philosopher and political economist of the Scottish Enlightenment, author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the…
Stephen Hawking
from 1942 to 1959
2 moments here
English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author whose work on singularities, black-hole thermodynamics, and Hawking radiation reshaped modern…
Albert Einstein
in 1931
1 moment here
German-born theoretical physicist who transformed modern physics through special and general relativity, foundational work on quantum theory, and…
Ronald Reagan
in 1992
1 moment here
American broadcaster, actor, labor leader, governor of California, and 40th president of the United States.…
Charles Darwin
in 1847
1 moment here
English naturalist, geologist, and biologist whose observations during the global voyage of HMS Beagle and subsequent research led to his theory of…
Charlie Chaplin
in 1962
1 moment here
English actor, comedian, director, writer, producer and composer whose screen persona, the Tramp, became an international icon.…
Mark Twain
in 1907
1 moment here
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, journalist, lecturer, riverboat pilot, and traveler.…
Oscar Wilde
in 1874
1 moment here
Irish author, poet, playwright, critic, and leading figure in late nineteenth-century aestheticism.…
Jane Austen
in 1783
1 moment here
English novelist Jane Austen spent her life in southern England, principally in Hampshire, Bath, Southampton, Chawton, and Winchester.…
Jorge Luis Borges
in 1971
1 moment here
Argentine writer, poet, essayist, translator, lecturer, librarian, and critic. Borges was born in Buenos Aires, lived in Switzerland and Spain during…
Theodore Roosevelt
in 1910
1 moment here
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1858–1919) was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909.…
Indira Gandhi
in 1937
1 moment here
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian stateswoman who served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.…
Jonathan Swift
in 1692
1 moment here
Anglo-Irish writer, satirist, political pamphleteer, and Church of Ireland cleric, best known for Gulliver's Travels, A Tale of a Tub, and A Modest…
Thomas Hobbes
in 1603
1 moment here
English philosopher and political theorist, best known for Leviathan (1651). Hobbes’s documented movements include study at Oxford, European travel…
Desiderius Erasmus
in 1499
1 moment here
Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, theologian, editor, and author. Erasmus was born in the Burgundian Netherlands, educated in the Low…
John Milton
in 1642
1 moment here
English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. This chronology follows documented residences, education, continental travel, marriages, public service,…
Giordano Bruno
in 1583
1 moment here
Italian Renaissance philosopher, Dominican friar, writer, and cosmological theorist. Born at Nola, Bruno studied and lived in Italy, Switzerland,…
Thomas More
in 1492
1 moment here
English lawyer, humanist author, royal councillor, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Lord Chancellor under…
Moments
- 1492 Studies at Oxford Thomas More
- 1499 First English visit at Oxford Desiderius Erasmus
- 1583 First Oxford visit and public debate Giordano Bruno
- 1603 Student at Magdalen Hall Thomas Hobbes
- 1642 Marriage at Forest Hill John Milton
- 1652 Christ Church residence and study John Locke
- 1674 Return to Oxford for medical degree John Locke
- 1681 Oxford Parliament activity John Locke
- 1692 Master's degree at Hart Hall Jonathan Swift
- 1740 Departure for Oxford Adam Smith
- 1740 Oxford study Adam Smith
- 1783 Education in Oxford Jane Austen
- 1847 Attends British Association at Oxford Charles Darwin
- 1874 Magdalen College undergraduate Oscar Wilde
- 1907 Receives Oxford honorary degree Mark Twain
- 1910 Romanes Lecture at Oxford Theodore Roosevelt
- 1911 Begins at Exeter College J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1918 Returns to Oxford for dictionary work J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1920 Lectures at Oxford University Rabindranath Tagore
- 1925 Returns to Oxford as professor J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1930 Move to 20 Northmoor Road J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1930 Delivers the Hibbert Lectures at Oxford Rabindranath Tagore
- 1931 First Christ Church residence Albert Einstein
- 1937 Somerville College studies Indira Gandhi
- 1942 Birth in Oxford Stephen Hawking
- 1945 Merton Professor at Oxford J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1947 Move to Manor Road J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1950 Move to Holywell Street J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1953 Move to Sandfield Road J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1955 First O'Donnell Lecture J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1959 Undergraduate study at University College Stephen Hawking
- 1962 Receives Oxford honorary degree Charlie Chaplin
- 1971 Oxford honorary doctorate Jorge Luis Borges
- 1972 Return to central Oxford J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1992 Addresses Oxford Union Ronald Reagan