Writers through history
The atlas holds 180 people and 5,946 moments here, from 620 BC to 2025. The most recorded lives are Lope de Vega, Nadine Gordimer and Gabriela Mistral. Across the Cold War and the Interwar Period.
Notable people
Lope de Vega
from 1562 to 1635
24 moments here
Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist of the Spanish Golden Age. Born and died in Madrid, Lope de Vega studied in Madrid and Alcalá, served in naval…
Nadine Gordimer
from 1923 to 2014
17 moments here
South African novelist, short-story writer, and anti-apartheid activist whose work examined apartheid, race, power, and moral responsibility.…
Gabriela Mistral
from 1889 to 1957
55 moments here
Chilean poet, educator, journalist, and diplomat born Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. Mistral taught across Chile, worked on Mexican educational reform,…
Justinian I
from 482 to 565
7 moments here
Eastern Roman emperor from 527 to 565, noted for the Corpus Juris Civilis, extensive building programs, religious policy, and campaigns that…
Liu Xiaobo
from 1955 to 2017
25 moments here
Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, human-rights activist, and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.…
Hypatia
from 370 to 415
5 moments here
Hypatia was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, and teacher. Her birth is disputed, with estimates ranging from about 350 to…
Kobe Bryant
from 1978 to 2020
18 moments here
Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers.…
Hadrian
from 76 to 138
18 moments here
Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian traveled extensively through the Roman Empire, inspecting frontiers and armies, intervening in provincial…
Prince
from 1958 to 2016
46 moments here
Prince Rogers Nelson was an American singer, songwriter, musician, producer, actor, and filmmaker associated with the Minneapolis sound.…
Al-Biruni
from 973 to 1048
9 moments here
Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni was a Khwarazmian polymath whose documented movements connect Kath and Khwarazm, Bukhara, Gurgan, Gurganj,…
Carrie Fisher
from 1956 to 2016
20 moments here
Carrie Frances Fisher was an American actress, writer, and public advocate, internationally known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films.…
Paul Walker
from 1973 to 2013
17 moments here
Paul William Walker IV was an American actor best known for playing Brian O'Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise.…