TIMELINER

History's most surprising connections

Who Was Alive in 1945

127 of 328 historical figures were alive in 1945

Max Planck
Max PlanckAge 87
1858–1947 · Science & Invention
Father of quantum theory
Henry Ford
Henry FordAge 82
1863–1947 · Business & Industry
Assembly line, Model T automobile
H.G. Wells
H.G. WellsAge 79
1866–1946 · Literature
The War of the Worlds, science fiction pioneer
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma GandhiAge 76
1869–1948 · Politics & Leadership
Nonviolent independence leader of India
Orville Wright
Orville WrightAge 74
1871–1948 · Science & Invention
Co-inventor of the airplane
Winston Churchill
Winston ChurchillAge 71
1874–1965 · Politics & Leadership
British PM who led WWII effort
Carl Jung
Carl JungAge 70
1875–1961 · Philosophy & Thought
Analytical psychology, archetypes
Lise Meitner
Lise MeitnerAge 67
1878–1968 · Science & Invention
Discovered nuclear fission, overlooked for Nobel
Albert Einstein
Albert EinsteinAge 66
1879–1955 · Science & Invention
Theory of relativity, E=mc²
Pablo Picasso
Pablo PicassoAge 64
1881–1973 · Art
Cubism, Guernica, most prolific artist
Alexander Fleming
Alexander FlemingAge 64
1881–1955 · Science & Invention
Discovered penicillin
Igor Stravinsky
Igor StravinskyAge 63
1882–1971 · Music
The Rite of Spring, modern classical
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. RooseveltAge 63
1882–1945 · Politics & Leadership
32nd US President, New Deal, WWII leader
Coco Chanel
Coco ChanelAge 62
1883–1971 · Business & Industry
Fashion icon, Chanel No. 5
Niels Bohr
Niels BohrAge 60
1885–1962 · Science & Invention
Atomic model, quantum mechanics pioneer
Diego Rivera
Diego RiveraAge 59
1886–1957 · Art
Mexican muralist, political artist
Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin SchrödingerAge 58
1887–1961 · Science & Invention
Schrödinger's cat, wave equation
Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'KeeffeAge 58
1887–1986 · Art
Mother of American modernism
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie ChaplinAge 56
1889–1977 · Film & Entertainment
The Tramp, silent film legend
Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi MinhAge 55
1890–1969 · Politics & Leadership
Revolutionary leader of Vietnam
Agatha Christie
Agatha ChristieAge 55
1890–1976 · Literature
Best-selling mystery novelist ever
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. EisenhowerAge 55
1890–1969 · Politics & Leadership
WWII Supreme Commander, 34th US President
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de GaulleAge 55
1890–1970 · Politics & Leadership
Leader of Free France, French President
Haile Selassie
Haile SelassieAge 53
1892–1975 · Politics & Leadership
Emperor of Ethiopia, Rastafari symbol
J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. TolkienAge 53
1892–1973 · Literature
The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth
Mao Zedong
Mao ZedongAge 52
1893–1976 · Politics & Leadership
Founder of the People's Republic of China
Babe Ruth
Babe RuthAge 50
1895–1948 · Sports
Baseball's Sultan of Swat
Buster Keaton
Buster KeatonAge 50
1895–1966 · Film & Entertainment
Silent film comedian, The General
Golda Meir
Golda MeirAge 47
1898–1978 · Politics & Leadership
Fourth Prime Minister of Israel
Duke Ellington
Duke EllingtonAge 46
1899–1974 · Music
Jazz legend, big band pioneer
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest HemingwayAge 46
1899–1961 · Literature
The Old Man and the Sea, Nobel laureate
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis BorgesAge 46
1899–1986 · Literature
Labyrinths, master of magical realism
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred HitchcockAge 46
1899–1980 · Film & Entertainment
Master of Suspense — Psycho, Vertigo
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey BogartAge 46
1899–1957 · Film & Entertainment
Casablanca, Hollywood icon
Werner Heisenberg
Werner HeisenbergAge 44
1901–1976 · Science & Invention
Uncertainty principle, quantum mechanics pioneer
Louis Armstrong
Louis ArmstrongAge 44
1901–1971 · Music
What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet
Walt Disney
Walt DisneyAge 44
1901–1966 · Film & Entertainment
Created Mickey Mouse, Disney empire
Enrico Fermi
Enrico FermiAge 44
1901–1954 · Science & Invention
Father of the nuclear age, first nuclear reactor
Hirohito
HirohitoAge 44
1901–1989 · Politics & Leadership
Emperor of Japan during WWII
George Orwell
George OrwellAge 42
1903–1950 · Literature
1984, Animal Farm
Bob Hope
Bob HopeAge 42
1903–2003 · Film & Entertainment
Comedian, entertainer for 80+ years
Robert Oppenheimer
Robert OppenheimerAge 41
1904–1967 · Science & Invention
Father of the atomic bomb
Salvador Dalí
Salvador DalíAge 41
1904–1989 · Art
The Persistence of Memory, surrealist
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul SartreAge 40
1905–1980 · Philosophy & Thought
Existentialism, declined the Nobel Prize
Hannah Arendt
Hannah ArendtAge 39
1906–1975 · Philosophy & Thought
The Banality of Evil, political theorist
Frida Kahlo
Frida KahloAge 38
1907–1954 · Art
Self-portraits, Mexican cultural icon
Rachel Carson
Rachel CarsonAge 38
1907–1964 · Activism & Social Change
Silent Spring, environmental movement
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de BeauvoirAge 37
1908–1986 · Philosophy & Thought
The Second Sex, feminist existentialist
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame NkrumahAge 36
1909–1972 · Politics & Leadership
First President of Ghana
Dorothy Hodgkin
Dorothy HodgkinAge 35
1910–1994 · Science & Invention
Nobel Prize for X-ray crystallography of biochemical substances
Mother Teresa
Mother TeresaAge 35
1910–1997 · Activism & Social Change
Missionary of Charity in Calcutta
Akira Kurosawa
Akira KurosawaAge 35
1910–1998 · Film & Entertainment
Seven Samurai, master filmmaker
Jacques Cousteau
Jacques CousteauAge 35
1910–1997 · Exploration
Ocean explorer, pioneered scuba diving
Alan Turing
Alan TuringAge 33
1912–1954 · Science & Invention
Father of computer science, codebreaker
Jackson Pollock
Jackson PollockAge 33
1912–1956 · Art
Action painting, abstract expressionism
Rosa Parks
Rosa ParksAge 32
1913–2005 · Activism & Social Change
Mother of the civil rights movement
Jesse Owens
Jesse OwensAge 32
1913–1980 · Sports
4 gold medals at 1936 Berlin Olympics
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy LamarrAge 31
1914–2000 · Science & Invention
Hollywood star who co-invented frequency hopping
Orson Welles
Orson WellesAge 30
1915–1985 · Film & Entertainment
Citizen Kane, War of the Worlds broadcast
Frank Sinatra
Frank SinatraAge 30
1915–1998 · Music
My Way, Ol' Blue Eyes
Billie Holiday
Billie HolidayAge 30
1915–1959 · Music
Strange Fruit, jazz vocal legend
Roald Dahl
Roald DahlAge 29
1916–1990 · Literature
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
John F. Kennedy
John F. KennedyAge 28
1917–1963 · Politics & Leadership
35th US President, Space Race
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella FitzgeraldAge 28
1917–1996 · Music
First Lady of Song, jazz icon
Indira Gandhi
Indira GandhiAge 28
1917–1984 · Politics & Leadership
First female Prime Minister of India
Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar BergmanAge 27
1918–2007 · Film & Entertainment
The Seventh Seal, master of art cinema
Nelson Mandela
Nelson MandelaAge 27
1918–2013 · Politics & Leadership
Anti-apartheid hero, South African President
Richard Feynman
Richard FeynmanAge 27
1918–1988 · Science & Invention
Quantum electrodynamics, bongo-playing physicist
Eva Perón
Eva PerónAge 26
1919–1952 · Politics & Leadership
Argentina's beloved Evita
Edmund Hillary
Edmund HillaryAge 26
1919–2008 · Exploration
First to summit Mount Everest
Jackie Robinson
Jackie RobinsonAge 26
1919–1972 · Sports
Broke baseball's color barrier
Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind FranklinAge 25
1920–1958 · Science & Invention
Key to discovering DNA's structure
Stan Lee
Stan LeeAge 23
1922–2018 · Film & Entertainment
Co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Marvel
Marlon Brando
Marlon BrandoAge 21
1924–2004 · Film & Entertainment
The Godfather, method acting pioneer
James Baldwin
James BaldwinAge 21
1924–1987 · Literature
Go Tell It on the Mountain, civil rights essayist
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice LumumbaAge 20
1925–1961 · Politics & Leadership
First Prime Minister of independent Congo
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret ThatcherAge 20
1925–2013 · Politics & Leadership
The Iron Lady, British Prime Minister
B.B. King
B.B. KingAge 20
1925–2015 · Music
King of the Blues
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn MonroeAge 19
1926–1962 · Film & Entertainment
Hollywood icon, cultural legend
Fidel Castro
Fidel CastroAge 19
1926–2016 · Politics & Leadership
Cuban revolutionary leader
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García MárquezAge 18
1927–2014 · Literature
One Hundred Years of Solitude
James Watson
James WatsonAge 17
1928–present · Science & Invention
Co-discovered the structure of DNA
Andy Warhol
Andy WarholAge 17
1928–1987 · Art
Pop art icon, Campbell's Soup Cans
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley KubrickAge 17
1928–1999 · Film & Entertainment
2001: A Space Odyssey, perfectionist auteur
Maya Angelou
Maya AngelouAge 17
1928–2014 · Literature
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Che Guevara
Che GuevaraAge 17
1928–1967 · Politics & Leadership
Argentine revolutionary icon
Vera Rubin
Vera RubinAge 17
1928–2016 · Science & Invention
Discovered evidence for dark matter
Noam Chomsky
Noam ChomskyAge 17
1928–present · Philosophy & Thought
Father of modern linguistics, political activist
Anne Frank
Anne FrankAge 16
1929–1945 · Activism & Social Change
Diary of a Young Girl, Holocaust victim
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.Age 16
1929–1968 · Activism & Social Change
"I Have a Dream," civil rights leader
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey HepburnAge 16
1929–1993 · Film & Entertainment
Breakfast at Tiffany's, humanitarian
Grace Kelly
Grace KellyAge 16
1929–1982 · Film & Entertainment
Hollywood star turned Princess of Monaco
Chinua Achebe
Chinua AchebeAge 15
1930–2013 · Literature
Things Fall Apart, father of modern African literature
Neil Armstrong
Neil ArmstrongAge 15
1930–2012 · Exploration
First human to walk on the Moon
Ray Charles
Ray CharlesAge 15
1930–2004 · Music
The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind
Tu Youyou
Tu YouyouAge 15
1930–present · Science & Invention
Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine
James Dean
James DeanAge 14
1931–1955 · Film & Entertainment
Rebel Without a Cause, died at 24
Desmond Tutu
Desmond TutuAge 14
1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change
Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize
Toni Morrison
Toni MorrisonAge 14
1931–2019 · Literature
Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature
Johnny Cash
Johnny CashAge 13
1932–2003 · Music
The Man in Black, country music legend
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth TaylorAge 13
1932–2011 · Film & Entertainment
Cleopatra, golden age Hollywood star
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia PlathAge 13
1932–1963 · Literature
The Bell Jar, confessional poetry
Yoko Ono
Yoko OnoAge 12
1933–present · Art
Avant-garde artist, peace activist
Wole Soyinka
Wole SoyinkaAge 11
1934–present · Literature
First African Nobel laureate in Literature
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri GagarinAge 11
1934–1968 · Exploration
First human in space
Carl Sagan
Carl SaganAge 11
1934–1996 · Science & Invention
Cosmos, pale blue dot, science communicator
Jane Goodall
Jane GoodallAge 11
1934–present · Science & Invention
World's foremost expert on chimpanzees
Dalai Lama
Dalai LamaAge 10
1935–present · Philosophy & Thought
Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize
Elvis Presley
Elvis PresleyAge 10
1935–1977 · Music
The King of Rock and Roll
Woody Allen
Woody AllenAge 10
1935–present · Film & Entertainment
Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker
Pope Francis
Pope FrancisAge 9
1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought
First pope from the Americas
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford CoppolaAge 6
1939–present · Film & Entertainment
The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now
Pelé
PeléAge 5
1940–2022 · Sports
The King of Football, 3 World Cups
Bruce Lee
Bruce LeeAge 5
1940–1973 · Film & Entertainment
Martial arts legend, Enter the Dragon
John Lennon
John LennonAge 5
1940–1980 · Music
The Beatles, Imagine
Wangari Maathai
Wangari MaathaiAge 5
1940–2011 · Activism & Social Change
Kenyan environmentalist, first African woman Nobel laureate
Bob Dylan
Bob DylanAge 4
1941–present · Music
Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad AliAge 3
1942–2016 · Sports
The Greatest, heavyweight boxing champion
Aretha Franklin
Aretha FranklinAge 3
1942–2018 · Music
Queen of Soul, Respect
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi HendrixAge 3
1942–1970 · Music
Greatest electric guitarist of all time
Stephen Hawking
Stephen HawkingAge 3
1942–2018 · Science & Invention
Black holes, A Brief History of Time
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean KingAge 2
1943–present · Sports
Tennis champion, gender equality advocate
George Harrison
George HarrisonAge 2
1943–2001 · Music
The Beatles, My Sweet Lord
Janis Joplin
Janis JoplinAge 2
1943–1970 · Music
Piece of My Heart, rock and blues
Jim Morrison
Jim MorrisonAge 2
1943–1971 · Music
The Doors, Light My Fire
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu KyiAge 0
1945–present · Activism & Social Change
Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate
Bob Marley
Bob MarleyAge 0
1945–1981 · Music
Reggae icon, One Love

Notable World Events in 1945

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