Historical figures in Philadelphia

The atlas holds 23 people and 50 moments here, from 1723 to 2015. The most recorded lives are Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Edgar Allan Poe. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Scientists, across the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment.

Notable people

  1. Benjamin Franklin

    from 1723 to 1790

    9 moments here

    American printer, scientist, civic leader, colonial agent, revolutionary statesman, and diplomat.…

  2. George Washington

    from 1775 to 1793

    6 moments here

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

  3. Edgar Allan Poe

    from 1838 to 1844

    4 moments here

    American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic whose work helped shape Gothic fiction, detective fiction, and early science fiction.…

  4. John Adams

    from 1774 to 1797

    4 moments here

    American lawyer, revolutionary leader, diplomat, first vice president of the United States, and second U.S. president.…

  5. James Madison

    from 1780 to 1787

    4 moments here

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

  6. Charles Dickens

    from 1842 to 1868

    2 moments here

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

  7. Martin Luther King Jr.

    in 1950

    2 moments here

    American Baptist minister and civil-rights leader who advanced racial equality through nonviolent protest.…

  8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    from 1936 to 1944

    2 moments here

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

  9. Thomas Jefferson

    in 1776

    2 moments here

    Thomas Jefferson was an American lawyer, Virginia political leader, diplomat, secretary of state, vice president, and third president of the United…

  10. Kobe Bryant

    from 1978 to 1991

    2 moments here

    Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers.…

  11. Abraham Lincoln

    in 1861

    1 moment here

    American lawyer, Illinois legislator, congressman, and sixteenth president of the United States.…

  12. Winston Churchill

    in 1900

    1 moment here

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

  13. Mark Twain

    in 1853

    1 moment here

    Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known as Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, journalist, lecturer, riverboat pilot, and traveler.…

  14. John F. Kennedy

    in 1962

    1 moment here

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

  15. Marie Curie

    in 1921

    1 moment here

    Polish-born, naturalized-French physicist and chemist who pioneered research on radioactivity. With Pierre Curie she discovered polonium and radium.…

  16. Pope Francis

    in 2015

    1 moment here

    Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, was an Argentine Jesuit priest, archbishop of Buenos Aires, cardinal, and head of the Catholic Church and…

  17. Nikola Tesla

    in 1893

    1 moment here

    Serbian-American engineer and inventor best known for foundational work on alternating-current power systems, the induction motor, high-frequency…

  18. Jimmy Carter

    in 1976

    1 moment here

    James Earl Carter Jr. was an American naval officer, Georgia state senator and governor, the 39th president of the United States, and a…

  19. Dmitri Mendeleev

    in 1876

    1 moment here

    Russian chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev formulated the periodic law and produced a foundational periodic table.…

  20. Simón Bolívar

    in 1807

    1 moment here

    Venezuelan military and political leader known as El Libertador. Bolívar led revolutionary campaigns that helped secure the independence of…

  21. Helen Keller

    in 1931

    1 moment here

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

  22. Judy Garland

    in 1968

    1 moment here

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

  23. Golda Meir

    in 1918

    1 moment here

    Golda Meir was an Israeli political leader who served as Israel’s prime minister from 1969 to 1974.…

Moments

  1. 1723 Move to Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin
  2. 1727 Junto founded Benjamin Franklin
  3. 1729 Pennsylvania Gazette publisher Benjamin Franklin
  4. 1762 Return to Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin
  5. 1774 First Continental Congress John Adams
  6. 1775 Returned for Second Continental Congress John Adams
  7. 1775 Return from Britain Benjamin Franklin
  8. 1775 Joins Congress in Philadelphia George Washington
  9. 1776 Declaration committee Benjamin Franklin
  10. 1776 Advocated independence in Congress John Adams
  11. 1776 Drafted Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson
  12. 1776 Continental Congress delegate in Philadelphia Thomas Jefferson
  13. 1780 Continental Congress service in Philadelphia James Madison
  14. 1785 Arrival home in Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin
  15. 1785 Visit to Philadelphia James Madison
  16. 1787 Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin
  17. 1787 Arrives for the Constitutional Convention George Washington
  18. 1787 Constitutional Convention delegate James Madison
  19. 1787 Early arrival for the Constitutional Convention James Madison
  20. 1789 Reaches Philadelphia on inaugural journey George Washington
  21. 1790 Death in Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin
  22. 1790 Lives in the Philadelphia President's House George Washington
  23. 1791 Leaves Philadelphia on Southern Tour George Washington
  24. 1793 Takes second presidential oath George Washington
  25. 1797 Occupied President's House John Adams
  26. 1807 Visits Philadelphia Simón Bolívar
  27. 1838 Relocation to Philadelphia Edgar Allan Poe
  28. 1842 Meeting Charles Dickens Edgar Allan Poe
  29. 1842 Tours Eastern State Penitentiary Charles Dickens
  30. 1843 Residence at 530 North Seventh Street Edgar Allan Poe
  31. 1844 Departure for New York Edgar Allan Poe
  32. 1853 Works as a printer in Philadelphia Mark Twain
  33. 1861 Visited Independence Hall Abraham Lincoln
  34. 1868 Reads in Philadelphia Charles Dickens
  35. 1876 Centennial Exposition visit Dmitri Mendeleev
  36. 1893 Franklin Institute address Nikola Tesla
  37. 1900 Lectures in Philadelphia Winston Churchill
  38. 1918 American Jewish Congress convention Golda Meir
  39. 1921 Visits the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Marie Curie
  40. 1931 Honorary degree at Temple University Helen Keller
  41. 1936 Renominated in Philadelphia Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  42. 1944 Campaigns through Philadelphia in the rain Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  43. 1950 Challenges segregation at Mary's Cafe Martin Luther King Jr.
  44. 1950 Hears Mordecai Johnson on Gandhi Martin Luther King Jr.
  45. 1962 Spoke at Independence Hall John F. Kennedy
  46. 1968 Last United States concert Judy Garland
  47. 1976 Ford debate at Walnut Street Theatre Jimmy Carter
  48. 1978 Birth in Philadelphia Kobe Bryant
  49. 1991 Return to the Philadelphia area for school Kobe Bryant
  50. 2015 United States pastoral visit Pope Francis

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