Jurists through history

The atlas holds 31 people and 1,189 moments here, from 106 BC to 2024. The most recorded lives are Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. Across the Interwar Period and the Cold War.

Notable people

  1. Abraham Lincoln

    from 1809 to 1865

    68 moments here

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

  2. Nelson Mandela

    from 1918 to 2013

    99 moments here

    South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, lawyer and statesman. Mandela helped lead the African National Congress, co-founded its armed wing,…

  3. Mahatma Gandhi

    from 1869 to 1948

    69 moments here

    Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, political ethicist, and leader of mass nonviolent resistance.…

  4. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

    from 1749 to 1832

    78 moments here

    German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist, theatre director, and statesman. Born in Frankfurt, Goethe studied in Leipzig and Strasbourg, practiced…

  5. Martin Luther

    from 1483 to 1546

    29 moments here

    German Augustinian friar, priest, theologian, professor, translator, and leading figure of the Protestant Reformation.…

  6. Franz Kafka

    from 1883 to 1924

    69 moments here

    German-language Jewish Czech writer whose fiction transformed modern literature. Born and educated in Prague, Kafka trained as a lawyer and worked…

  7. Thomas Jefferson

    from 1743 to 1826

    29 moments here

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

  8. Otto von Bismarck

    from 1815 to 1898

    27 moments here

    Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian and German statesman, diplomat, and the first chancellor of the German Empire.…

  9. Nicolaus Copernicus

    from 1473 to 1543

    15 moments here

    Renaissance astronomer, canon, physician, administrator, and economist whose heliocentric model placed the Sun rather than Earth at the center of the…

  10. Margaret Thatcher

    from 1925 to 2013

    35 moments here

    British stateswoman Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the first woman to hold the…

  11. Fidel Castro

    from 1926 to 2016

    52 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…

  12. Gabriel García Márquez

    from 1927 to 2014

    41 moments here

    Colombian novelist, journalist, screenwriter, and Nobel laureate whose life moved between Colombia, Europe, Cuba, the United States, Mexico, and…

  13. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

    from 1646 to 1716

    54 moments here

    German polymath, philosopher, mathematician, jurist, diplomat, court councillor, historian, and librarian.…

  14. Cicero

    from 106 BC to 43 BC

    83 moments here

    Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) was a Roman lawyer, orator, philosopher, consul, provincial governor, and defender of the late Republic.…

  15. Mikhail Gorbachev

    from 1931 to 2022

    57 moments here

    Soviet and Russian politician who led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991.…

  16. Harry S. Truman

    from 1884 to 1972

    38 moments here

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

  17. Theodore Roosevelt

    from 1858 to 1919

    33 moments here

    Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1858–1919) was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909.…

  18. Jawaharlal Nehru

    from 1889 to 1964

    54 moments here

    Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and statesman who became independent India’s first prime minister, serving from 15 August 1947 until his…

  19. Francis Bacon

    from 1561 to 1626

    13 moments here

    English philosopher, lawyer, statesman, Attorney General, and Lord Chancellor under James I.…

  20. John Adams

    from 1735 to 1826

    34 moments here

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

  21. James Madison

    from 1751 to 1836

    29 moments here

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

  22. Ibn Khaldun

    from 1332 to 1406

    15 moments here

    Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406) was a Tunis-born historian, jurist, political official, teacher, and author of the Muqaddimah.…

  23. Montesquieu

    from 1689 to 1755

    29 moments here

    Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, was a French jurist, historian, and political philosopher.…

  24. Ali ibn Abi Talib

    from 600 to 661

    21 moments here

    Ali ibn Abi Talib was the fourth Rashidun caliph (656–661), cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, and first Shia Imam.…

Moments

  1. 90 BC Serves in the Social War Cicero
  2. 88 Secular Games service Tacitus
  3. 622 Stayed in Mecca as Muhammad's decoy Ali ibn Abi Talib
  4. 1153 Astronomical observations in Marrakesh Averroes
  5. 1365 Political office at Béjaïa Ibn Khaldun
  6. 1484 Family relocates to Mansfeld Martin Luther
  7. 1491 Studies at the University of Kraków Nicolaus Copernicus
  8. 1515 Visit to Antwerp and meeting with Pieter Gillis Thomas More
  9. 1535 Flight to Basel John Calvin
  10. 1539 Student at the College of Guienne Michel de Montaigne
  11. 1573 Student at Trinity College Francis Bacon
  12. 1641 Entered the Oratory Jean de La Fontaine
  13. 1687 Stay at Rheinfels Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
  14. 1700 Student at the College of Juilly Montesquieu
  15. 1761 College of William & Mary student Thomas Jefferson
  16. 1765 Takes lodgings as a Leipzig student Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  17. 1768 Boston residence on Brattle Street John Adams
  18. 1769 Enrollment at the College of New Jersey James Madison
  19. 1811 Childhood at Knob Creek Farm Abraham Lincoln
  20. 1816 Childhood at Kniephof estate Otto von Bismarck
  21. 1876 Family settles in Rajkot Mahatma Gandhi
  22. 1876 Entered Harvard University Theodore Roosevelt
  23. 1884 Infancy near Harrisonville Harry S. Truman
  24. 1885 Moves to Wenceslas Square Franz Kafka
  25. 1925 Attends school near Qunu Nelson Mandela
  26. 1929 Congress presidency at Lahore Jawaharlal Nehru
  27. 1950 Arrival for Moscow State University Mikhail Gorbachev
  28. 1959 United States working visit Fidel Castro
  29. 1975 Meeting President Ford Margaret Thatcher
  30. 1982 Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm Gabriel García Márquez
  31. 2011 Major post-election demonstration Alexei Navalny

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