Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography/Core biographies

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WP:COREBIO

This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference.
Either the page is no longer relevant or consensus on its purpose has become unclear. To revive discussion, seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump.

This page was developed by the Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography as a list of the most important biographies in Wikipedia, to have a work list of articles to improve. Any such list is subjective and will not find universal agreement.

This was used as a worklist for the Version 1.0 Editorial Team. The worklist can be found at Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Biographies. It is essentially a work list for anyone who chooses to use it. The main idea is to pick an article towards the bottom of the list e.g. at C-class and bring it to as close to featured status as possible. Criteria for inclusion is below and must meet the definition for Top.

Criteria[edit]

For placement on this list, consider the following criteria.

Top/Core - Must have had a large impact outside of their main discipline, across several generations, and in the majority of the world. For instance, Einstein, brilliant physicist, but his theories have affected people outside of physics and in many other countries besides his nation of origin and several generations. His ideas have changed the way people think. No member should give this rating to any biography without first getting Project approval from the other members.

For an understanding of how "Top" relates to potential lower-importance categories, keep this in mind, as it might help decide if a biography is really "Top" or "High," etc.:

High - Must have had a large impact in their main discipline, across a couple of generations. Had some impact outside their country of origin.

Mid - Important in their discipline

Low - A contributor to their discipline and is included in Wikipedia to expand depth of knowledge of other articles.

The list[edit]

The following list is transcluded from Wikipedia:WikiProject Biography/Core biographies/list

Name	Date of birth	Date of death	Age	Country of birth	Country of death	Occupation
Aeschylus	c. 525 BC	c. 456 BC	68–69	Greece	Italy	Writer
Akbar	October 24, 1542	October 12, 1605	62	Pakistan	India	Politician
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi	780	850	69–70	Uzbekistan	Iraq	Scientist
Alexander the Great	July 20, 356 BC	June 10, 323 BC	32	Greece	Iraq	Politician
Muhammad Ali	January 17, 1942	June 3, 2016	74	United States	United States	Athlete
Thomas Aquinas	January 28, 1225	March 7, 1274	49	Italy	Italy	Theologian
Archimedes	c. 287 BC	c. 212 BC	74–75	Italy	Italy	Scientist
Aristotle	384 BC	322 BC	61–62	Greece	Greece	Philosopher
Attila	c. 406	453	46–47	Hungary	Hungary	Politician
W. H. Auden	February 21, 1907	September 29, 1973	66	United Kingdom	Austria	Writer
Augustine of Hippo	November 13, 354	August 28, 430	75	Algeria	Algeria	Theologian
Augustus	January 16, 63 BC	August 19, 14	77	Italy	Italy	Politician
Jane Austen	December 16, 1775	July 18, 1817	41	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Writer
Charles Babbage	December 26, 1791	October 18, 1871	79	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Johann Sebastian Bach	March 21, 1685	July 28, 1750	65	Germany	Germany	Artist
Francis Bacon	January 22, 1561	April 9, 1626	65	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Philosopher
Mikhail Baryshnikov	January 28, 1948	—	75	Russia	—	Artist
The Beatles	February 25, 1943	December 8, 1980	37	United Kingdom	United States	Artist
Ludwig van Beethoven	December 16, 1770	March 26, 1827	56	Germany	Austria	Artist
Alexander Graham Bell	March 3, 1847	August 2, 1922	75	United Kingdom	Canada	Scientist
Otto von Bismarck	April 1, 1815	July 30, 1898	83	Germany	Germany	Politician
Simón Bolívar	July 24, 1783	December 17, 1830	47	Venezuela	Colombia	Politician
Jorge Luis Borges	August 24, 1899	June 14, 1986	86	Argentina	Switzerland	Writer
Gautama Buddha	c. 563 BC	c. 483 BC	79–80	Nepal	India	Theologian
Edmund Burke	January 12, 1729	July 9, 1797	68	Ireland	United Kingdom	Philosopher
Lord Byron	January 22, 1788	April 19, 1824	36	United Kingdom	Greece	Writer
Julius Caesar	July 12, 100 BC	March 15, 44 BC	55	Italy	Italy	Politician
Cai Lun	c. 50 AD	121	70–71	China	China	Scientist
John Calvin	July 10, 1509	May 27, 1564	54	France	Switzerland	Theologian
Catherine the Great	April 21, 1729	November 17, 1796	67	Poland	Russia	Politician
Miguel de Cervantes	September 29, 1547	April 23, 1616	68	Spain	Spain	Writer
Charlemagne	April 2, 742	January 28, 814	71	Belgium	Germany	Politician
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor	February 24, 1500	September 21, 1558	58	Belgium	Spain	Politician
Charlie Chaplin	April 16, 1889	December 25, 1977	88	United Kingdom	Switzerland	Artist
Christopher Columbus	August 1451	May 20, 1506	54–55	Italy	Spain	Politician
Winston Churchill	November 30, 1874	January 24, 1965	90	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Politician
Cleopatra	January 69 BC	August 12, 30 BC	38–39	Egypt	Egypt	Politician
Confucius	September 28, 551 BC	479 BC	71–72	China	China	Philosopher
Constantine the Great	February 27, 272	May 22, 337	65	Serbia	Turkey	Politician
Nicolaus Copernicus	February 19, 1473	May 24, 1543	70	Poland	Poland	Scientist
Hernán Cortés	1485	December 2, 1547	61–62	Spain	Spain	Politician
Marie Curie	November 7, 1867	July 4, 1934	66	Poland	France	Scientist
Cyrus the Great	c. 600 BC	530 BC	69–70	Iran	Uzbekistan	Politician
Louis Daguerre	November 18, 1787	July 10, 1851	63	France	France	Scientist
Dante Alighieri	May 14, 1265	September 13, 1321	56	Italy	Italy	Writer
Charles Darwin	February 12, 1809	April 19, 1882	73	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
René Descartes	March 31, 1596	February 11, 1650	53	France	Sweden	Philosopher
Charles Dickens	February 7, 1812	June 9, 1870	58	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Writer
Walt Disney	December 5, 1901	December 15, 1966	65	United States	United States	Artist
Fyodor Dostoevsky	November 11, 1821	February 9, 1881	59	Russia	Russia	Writer
Frederick Douglass	February 1818	February 20, 1895	76–77	United States	United States	Politician
Thomas Edison	February 11, 1847	October 18, 1931	84	United States	United States	Scientist
Albert Einstein	March 14, 1879	April 18, 1955	76	Germany	United States	Scientist
T. S. Eliot	September 26, 1888	January 4, 1965	76	United States	United Kingdom	Writer
Elizabeth I	September 7, 1533	March 24, 1603	69	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Politician
Euclid	c. 325 BC	c. 265 BC	59–60	Egypt	Egypt	Scientist
Leonhard Euler	April 15, 1707	September 18, 1783	76	Switzerland	Russia	Scientist
Michael Faraday	September 22, 1791	August 25, 1867	75	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Pierre de Fermat	August 17, 1601	January 12, 1665	63	France	France	Scientist
Alexander Fleming	August 6, 1881	March 11, 1955	73	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Henry Ford	July 30, 1863	April 7, 1947	83	United States	United States	Scientist
Francis of Assisi	September 26, 1181	October 3, 1226	45	Italy	Italy	Theologian
Benjamin Franklin	January 17, 1706	April 17, 1790	84	United States	United States	Politician
Frederick the Great	January 24, 1712	August 17, 1786	74	Germany	Germany	Politician
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor	December 26, 1194	December 13, 1250	55	Italy	Italy	Politician
Sigmund Freud	May 6, 1856	September 23, 1939	83	Czech Republic	United Kingdom	Scientist
Galileo Galilei	February 15, 1564	January 8, 1642	77	Italy	Italy	Scientist
Mahatma Gandhi	October 2, 1869	January 30, 1948	78	India	India	Politician
Carl Friedrich Gauss	April 30, 1777	February 23, 1855	77	Germany	Germany	Scientist
Genghis Khan	c. 1162	1227	64–65	Mongolia	China	Politician
Edward Gibbon	April 27, 1737	January 16, 1794	56	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Politician
Giotto	1267	January 8, 1337	69–70	Italy	Italy	Artist
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe	August 28, 1749	March 22, 1832	82	Germany	Germany	Writer
Mikhail Gorbachev	March 2, 1931	August 30, 2022	91	Russia	Russia	Politician
Brothers Grimm	February 24, 1786	December 16, 1859	73	Germany	Germany	Writer
Che Guevara	May 14, 1928	October 9, 1967	39	Argentina	Bolivia	Politician
Johannes Gutenberg	c. 1395	February 3, 1468	72–73	Germany	Germany	Scientist
Hammurabi	c. 1810 BC	1750 BC	59–60	Iraq	Iraq	Politician
Hannibal	247 BC	183 BC	63–64	Tunisia	Turkey	Politician
Stephen Hawking	January 8, 1942	March 14, 2018	76	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Ernest Hemingway	July 21, 1899	July 2, 1961	61	United States	United States	Writer
Henry II of England	March 25, 1133	July 6, 1189	56	France	France	Politician
Henry VIII	June 28, 1491	January 28, 1547	55	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Politician
Herodotus	c. 484 BC	c. 425 BC	58–59	Turkey	Italy	Writer
Hippocrates	c. 460 BC	c. 370 BC	89–90	Greece	Greece	Scientist
Alfred Hitchcock	August 13, 1899	April 29, 1980	80	United Kingdom	United States	Artist
Adolf Hitler	April 20, 1889	April 30, 1945	56	Austria	Germany	Politician
Ho Chi Minh	May 19, 1890	September 2, 1969	79	Vietnam	Vietnam	Politician
Thomas Hobbes	April 5, 1588	December 4, 1679	91	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Philosopher
Homer	c. 800 BC	c. 750 BC	49–50	Turkey	Greece	Writer
Victor Hugo	February 26, 1802	May 22, 1885	83	France	France	Writer
David Hume	April 26, 1711	August 25, 1776	65	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Philosopher
Henrik Ibsen	March 20, 1828	May 23, 1906	78	Norway	Norway	Writer
Ivan the Terrible	August 25, 1530	March 18, 1584	53	Russia	Russia	Politician
Michael Jackson	August 29, 1958	June 25, 2009	50	United States	United States	Artist
Thomas Jefferson	April 13, 1743	July 4, 1826	83	United States	United States	Politician
Jesus	4 BC	29	32–33	Israel	Israel	Theologian
Joan of Arc	c. 1412	May 30, 1431	18–19	France	France	Theologian
Michael Jordan	February 17, 1963	—	60	United States	—	Athlete
James Joyce	February 2, 1882	January 13, 1941	58	Ireland	Switzerland	Writer
Franz Kafka	July 3, 1883	June 3, 1924	40	Austria	Austria	Writer
Immanuel Kant	April 22, 1724	February 12, 1804	79	Germany	Germany	Philosopher
Johannes Kepler	December 27, 1571	November 15, 1630	58	Germany	Germany	Scientist
John Maynard Keynes	June 5, 1883	April 21, 1946	62	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Søren Kierkegaard	May 5, 1813	November 11, 1855	42	Denmark	Denmark	Philosopher
Martin Luther King Jr.	January 15, 1929	April 4, 1968	39	United States	United States	Theologian
Akira Kurosawa	March 23, 1910	September 6, 1998	88	Japan	Japan	Artist
Laozi	c. 604 BC	c. 531 BC	72–73	China	China	Philosopher
Antoine Lavoisier	August 26, 1743	May 8, 1794	50	France	France	Scientist
Bruce Lee	November 27, 1940	July 20, 1973	32	United States	China	Artist
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz	July 1, 1646	November 14, 1716	70	Germany	Germany	Philosopher
Vladimir Lenin	April 10, 1870	January 21, 1924	53	Russia	Russia	Politician
Leonardo da Vinci	April 15, 1452	May 2, 1519	67	Italy	France	Artist
Abraham Lincoln	February 12, 1809	April 15, 1865	56	United States	United States	Politician
Carl Linnaeus	May 13, 1707	January 10, 1778	70	Sweden	Sweden	Scientist
Joseph Lister	April 5, 1827	February 10, 1912	84	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
John Locke	August 29, 1632	October 28, 1704	72	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Philosopher
Louis XIV	September 5, 1638	September 1, 1715	76	France	France	Politician
Martin Luther	November 10, 1483	February 18, 1546	62	Germany	Germany	Theologian
Niccolò Machiavelli	May 3, 1469	June 21, 1527	58	Italy	Italy	Philosopher
Ferdinand Magellan	1480	April 27, 1521	40–41	Portugal	Philippines	Politician
Thomas Robert Malthus	February 13, 1766	December 23, 1834	68	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Nelson Mandela	June 18, 1918	December 5, 2013	95	South Africa	South Africa	Politician
Mao Zedong	December 26, 1893	September 9, 1976	82	China	China	Politician
Guglielmo Marconi	April 25, 1874	July 20, 1937	63	Italy	Italy	Scientist
Karl Marx	May 5, 1818	March 14, 1883	64	Germany	United Kingdom	Philosopher
James Clerk Maxwell	June 13, 1831	November 5, 1879	48	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Gregor Mendel	July 20, 1822	January 6, 1884	61	Austria	Austria	Scientist
Michelangelo	March 6, 1475	February 18, 1564	88	Italy	Italy	Artist
John Milton	December 9, 1608	November 8, 1674	65	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Artist
Claude Monet	November 14, 1840	December 5, 1926	86	France	France	Artist
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	January 27, 1756	December 5, 1791	35	Austria	Czech Republic	Artist
Muhammad	c. 570	June 8, 632	61–62	Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia	Theologian
Benito Mussolini	July 29, 1883	April 28, 1945	61	Italy	Italy	Politician
Napoleon	August 15, 1769	May 5, 1821	51	France	United Kingdom	Politician
Isaac Newton	January 4, 1643	March 31, 1727	84	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Friedrich Nietzsche	October 15, 1844	August 25, 1900	55	Germany	Germany	Philosopher
J. Robert Oppenheimer	April 22, 1904	February 18, 1967	62	United States	United States	Scientist
Jesse Owens	September 12, 1913	March 31, 1980	66	United States	United States	Athlete
Blaise Pascal	June 19, 1623	August 19, 1662	39	France	France	Scientist
Louis Pasteur	December 27, 1822	September 28, 1895	72	France	France	Scientist
Paul the Apostle	c. 5 AD	c. 67 AD	61–62	Turkey	Italy	Theologian
Linus Pauling	February 28, 1901	August 19, 1994	93	United States	United States	Scientist
Pelé	October 23, 1940	December 29, 2022	82	Brazil	Brazil	Athlete
Peter the Great	May 30, 1672	February 8, 1725	52	Russia	Russia	Politician
Philip II of Spain	May 21, 1527	September 13, 1598	71	Spain	Spain	Politician
Pablo Picasso	October 25, 1881	April 8, 1973	91	Spain	France	Artist
Max Planck	April 23, 1858	October 4, 1947	89	Germany	Germany	Scientist
Plato	c. 427 BC	c. 347 BC	79–80	Greece	Greece	Philosopher
Edgar Allan Poe	January 19, 1809	October 7, 1849	40	United States	United States	Writer
Marco Polo	September 15, 1254	January 9, 1324	69	Italy	Italy	Politician
Ezra Pound	October 30, 1885	November 1, 1972	87	United States	Italy	Writer
Elvis Presley	January 8, 1935	August 16, 1977	42	United States	United States	Artist
Marcel Proust	July 10, 1871	November 18, 1922	51	France	France	Writer
Ptolemy	c. 90 AD	c. 168 AD	77–78	Egypt	Egypt	Scientist
Pythagoras	c. 570 BC	c. 495 BC	74–75	Greece	Italy	Scientist
Qin Shi Huang	February 7, 260 BC	August 10, 210 BC	50	China	China	Politician
Raphael	April 6, 1483	April 6, 1520	37	Italy	Italy	Artist
Rembrandt	July 15, 1606	October 4, 1669	63	Netherlands	Netherlands	Artist
Jackie Robinson	January 31, 1919	October 24, 1972	53	United States	United States	Athlete
Auguste Rodin	November 12, 1840	November 17, 1917	77	France	France	Artist
Franklin D. Roosevelt	January 30, 1882	April 12, 1945	63	United States	United States	Politician
Jean-Jacques Rousseau	June 28, 1712	July 2, 1778	66	Switzerland	France	Philosopher
Babe Ruth	February 6, 1895	August 16, 1948	53	United States	United States	Athlete
Ernest Rutherford	August 30, 1871	October 19, 1937	66	New Zealand	United Kingdom	Scientist
Saladin	1138	March 4, 1193	54–55	Iraq	Syria	Politician
Margaret Sanger	September 14, 1879	September 6, 1966	86	United States	United States	Politician
Walter Scott	August 15, 1771	September 21, 1832	61	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Writer
Shaka	c. 1787	c. 1828	40–41	South Africa	South Africa	Politician
William Shakespeare	April 26, 1564	April 23, 1616	51	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Writer
Adam Smith	June 5, 1723	July 17, 1790	67	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Philosopher
Socrates	c. 470 BC	399 BC	70–71	Greece	Greece	Philosopher
Joseph Stalin	December 18, 1878	March 5, 1953	74	Russia	Russia	Politician
Suleiman the Magnificent	November 6, 1494	September 5, 1566	71	Turkey	Hungary	Politician
Sun Tzu	544 BC	496 BC	47–48	China	China	Writer
Emperor Taizong of Tang	January 28, 598	July 10, 649	51	China	China	Politician
Mother Teresa	August 26, 1910	September 5, 1997	87	North Macedonia	India	Theologian
Nikola Tesla	July 10, 1856	January 7, 1943	86	Croatia	United States	Scientist
Henry David Thoreau	July 12, 1817	May 6, 1862	44	United States	United States	Writer
Thucydides	c. 460 BC	c. 395 BC	64–65	Greece	Greece	Writer
Timur	1336	February 19, 1405	68–69	Uzbekistan	Kazakhstan	Politician
Leo Tolstoy	August 28, 1828	November 20, 1910	82	Russia	Russia	Writer
Mark Twain	November 30, 1835	April 21, 1910	74	United States	United States	Writer
Vincent van Gogh	March 30, 1853	July 29, 1890	37	Netherlands	France	Artist
Giuseppe Verdi	October 9, 1813	January 27, 1901	87	Italy	Italy	Artist
Virgil	October 15, 70 BC	September 21, 19 BC	50	Italy	Italy	Writer
Voltaire	November 21, 1694	May 30, 1778	83	France	France	Writer
Andy Warhol	August 6, 1928	February 22, 1987	58	United States	United States	Artist
George Washington	February 22, 1732	December 14, 1799	67	United States	United States	Politician
James Watt	January 19, 1736	August 19, 1819	83	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Scientist
Max Weber	April 21, 1864	June 14, 1920	56	Germany	Germany	Writer
Walt Whitman	May 31, 1819	March 26, 1892	72	United States	United States	Writer
William the Conqueror	c. 1028	September 9, 1087	58–59	France	France	Politician
William Wordsworth	April 7, 1770	April 23, 1850	80	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Writer
Mary Wollstonecraft	April 27, 1759	September 10, 1797	38	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Writer
Wright brothers	August 19, 1871	May 30, 1912	40	United States	United States	Scientist
Frank Lloyd Wright	June 8, 1867	April 9, 1959	91	United States	United States	Artist
W. B. Yeats	June 13, 1865	January 28, 1939	73	Ireland	France	Writer
Zheng He	1371	1433	61–62	China	China	Politician
Zoroaster	c. 628 BC	c. 551 BC	76–77	Uzbekistan	Afghanistan	Theologian