Who Was Alive in 1956

Winston ChurchillAge 82

1874–1965 · Politics & Leadership

British PM who led WWII effort

Carl JungAge 81

1875–1961 · Philosophy & Thought

Analytical psychology, archetypes

Lise MeitnerAge 78

1878–1968 · Science & Invention

Discovered nuclear fission, overlooked for Nobel

Pablo PicassoAge 75

1881–1973 · Art

Cubism, Guernica, most prolific artist

Igor StravinskyAge 74

1882–1971 · Music

The Rite of Spring, modern classical

Coco ChanelAge 73

1883–1971 · Business & Industry

Fashion icon, Chanel No. 5

Niels BohrAge 71

1885–1962 · Science & Invention

Atomic model, quantum mechanics pioneer

Diego RiveraAge 70

1886–1957 · Art

Mexican muralist, political artist

Erwin SchrödingerAge 69

1887–1961 · Science & Invention

Schrödinger's cat, wave equation

Georgia O'KeeffeAge 69

1887–1986 · Art

Mother of American modernism

Charlie ChaplinAge 67

1889–1977 · Film & Entertainment

The Tramp, silent film legend

Ho Chi MinhAge 66

1890–1969 · Politics & Leadership

Revolutionary leader of Vietnam

Agatha ChristieAge 66

1890–1976 · Literature

Best-selling mystery novelist ever

Dwight D. EisenhowerAge 66

1890–1969 · Politics & Leadership

WWII Supreme Commander, 34th US President

Charles de GaulleAge 66

1890–1970 · Politics & Leadership

Leader of Free France, French President

Haile SelassieAge 64

1892–1975 · Politics & Leadership

Emperor of Ethiopia, Rastafari symbol

J.R.R. TolkienAge 64

1892–1973 · Literature

The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth

Mao ZedongAge 63

1893–1976 · Politics & Leadership

Founder of the People's Republic of China

Buster KeatonAge 61

1895–1966 · Film & Entertainment

Silent film comedian, The General

Golda MeirAge 58

1898–1978 · Politics & Leadership

Fourth Prime Minister of Israel

Duke EllingtonAge 57

1899–1974 · Music

Jazz legend, big band pioneer

Ernest HemingwayAge 57

1899–1961 · Literature

The Old Man and the Sea, Nobel laureate

Jorge Luis BorgesAge 57

1899–1986 · Literature

Labyrinths, master of magical realism

Alfred HitchcockAge 57

1899–1980 · Film & Entertainment

Master of Suspense — Psycho, Vertigo

Humphrey BogartAge 57

1899–1957 · Film & Entertainment

Casablanca, Hollywood icon

Werner HeisenbergAge 55

1901–1976 · Science & Invention

Uncertainty principle, quantum mechanics pioneer

Louis ArmstrongAge 55

1901–1971 · Music

What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet

Walt DisneyAge 55

1901–1966 · Film & Entertainment

Created Mickey Mouse, Disney empire

HirohitoAge 55

1901–1989 · Politics & Leadership

Emperor of Japan during WWII

Bob HopeAge 53

1903–2003 · Film & Entertainment

Comedian, entertainer for 80+ years

Robert OppenheimerAge 52

1904–1967 · Science & Invention

Father of the atomic bomb

Salvador DalíAge 52

1904–1989 · Art

The Persistence of Memory, surrealist

Jean-Paul SartreAge 51

1905–1980 · Philosophy & Thought

Existentialism, declined the Nobel Prize

Hannah ArendtAge 50

1906–1975 · Philosophy & Thought

The Banality of Evil, political theorist

Rachel CarsonAge 49

1907–1964 · Activism & Social Change

Silent Spring, environmental movement

Simone de BeauvoirAge 48

1908–1986 · Philosophy & Thought

The Second Sex, feminist existentialist

Kwame NkrumahAge 47

1909–1972 · Politics & Leadership

First President of Ghana

Dorothy HodgkinAge 46

1910–1994 · Science & Invention

Nobel Prize for X-ray crystallography of biochemical substances

Mother TeresaAge 46

1910–1997 · Activism & Social Change

Missionary of Charity in Calcutta

Akira KurosawaAge 46

1910–1998 · Film & Entertainment

Seven Samurai, master filmmaker

Jacques CousteauAge 46

1910–1997 · Exploration

Ocean explorer, pioneered scuba diving

Jackson PollockAge 44

1912–1956 · Art

Action painting, abstract expressionism

Rosa ParksAge 43

1913–2005 · Activism & Social Change

Mother of the civil rights movement

Jesse OwensAge 43

1913–1980 · Sports

4 gold medals at 1936 Berlin Olympics

Hedy LamarrAge 42

1914–2000 · Science & Invention

Hollywood star who co-invented frequency hopping

Orson WellesAge 41

1915–1985 · Film & Entertainment

Citizen Kane, War of the Worlds broadcast

Frank SinatraAge 41

1915–1998 · Music

My Way, Ol' Blue Eyes

Billie HolidayAge 41

1915–1959 · Music

Strange Fruit, jazz vocal legend

Roald DahlAge 40

1916–1990 · Literature

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

John F. KennedyAge 39

1917–1963 · Politics & Leadership

35th US President, Space Race

Ella FitzgeraldAge 39

1917–1996 · Music

First Lady of Song, jazz icon

Indira GandhiAge 39

1917–1984 · Politics & Leadership

First female Prime Minister of India

Ingmar BergmanAge 38

1918–2007 · Film & Entertainment

The Seventh Seal, master of art cinema

Nelson MandelaAge 38

1918–2013 · Politics & Leadership

Anti-apartheid hero, South African President

Richard FeynmanAge 38

1918–1988 · Science & Invention

Quantum electrodynamics, bongo-playing physicist

Edmund HillaryAge 37

1919–2008 · Exploration

First to summit Mount Everest

Jackie RobinsonAge 37

1919–1972 · Sports

Broke baseball's color barrier

Rosalind FranklinAge 36

1920–1958 · Science & Invention

Key to discovering DNA's structure

Stan LeeAge 34

1922–2018 · Film & Entertainment

Co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Marvel

Marlon BrandoAge 32

1924–2004 · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather, method acting pioneer

James BaldwinAge 32

1924–1987 · Literature

Go Tell It on the Mountain, civil rights essayist

Patrice LumumbaAge 31

1925–1961 · Politics & Leadership

First Prime Minister of independent Congo

Margaret ThatcherAge 31

1925–2013 · Politics & Leadership

The Iron Lady, British Prime Minister

B.B. KingAge 31

1925–2015 · Music

King of the Blues

Marilyn MonroeAge 30

1926–1962 · Film & Entertainment

Hollywood icon, cultural legend

Fidel CastroAge 30

1926–2016 · Politics & Leadership

Cuban revolutionary leader

Gabriel García MárquezAge 29

1927–2014 · Literature

One Hundred Years of Solitude

James WatsonAge 28

1928–present · Science & Invention

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Andy WarholAge 28

1928–1987 · Art

Pop art icon, Campbell's Soup Cans

Stanley KubrickAge 28

1928–1999 · Film & Entertainment

2001: A Space Odyssey, perfectionist auteur

Maya AngelouAge 28

1928–2014 · Literature

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Che GuevaraAge 28

1928–1967 · Politics & Leadership

Argentine revolutionary icon

Vera RubinAge 28

1928–2016 · Science & Invention

Discovered evidence for dark matter

Noam ChomskyAge 28

1928–present · Philosophy & Thought

Father of modern linguistics, political activist

Martin Luther King Jr.Age 27

1929–1968 · Activism & Social Change

"I Have a Dream," civil rights leader

Audrey HepburnAge 27

1929–1993 · Film & Entertainment

Breakfast at Tiffany's, humanitarian

Grace KellyAge 27

1929–1982 · Film & Entertainment

Hollywood star turned Princess of Monaco

Chinua AchebeAge 26

1930–2013 · Literature

Things Fall Apart, father of modern African literature

Neil ArmstrongAge 26

1930–2012 · Exploration

First human to walk on the Moon

Ray CharlesAge 26

1930–2004 · Music

The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind

Tu YouyouAge 26

1930–present · Science & Invention

Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine

Desmond TutuAge 25

1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change

Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize

Toni MorrisonAge 25

1931–2019 · Literature

Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature

Johnny CashAge 24

1932–2003 · Music

The Man in Black, country music legend

Elizabeth TaylorAge 24

1932–2011 · Film & Entertainment

Cleopatra, golden age Hollywood star

Sylvia PlathAge 24

1932–1963 · Literature

The Bell Jar, confessional poetry

Yoko OnoAge 23

1933–present · Art

Avant-garde artist, peace activist

Wole SoyinkaAge 22

1934–present · Literature

First African Nobel laureate in Literature

Yuri GagarinAge 22

1934–1968 · Exploration

First human in space

Carl SaganAge 22

1934–1996 · Science & Invention

Cosmos, pale blue dot, science communicator

Jane GoodallAge 22

1934–present · Science & Invention

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Dalai LamaAge 21

1935–present · Philosophy & Thought

Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Elvis PresleyAge 21

1935–1977 · Music

The King of Rock and Roll

Woody AllenAge 21

1935–present · Film & Entertainment

Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker

Pope FrancisAge 20

1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought

First pope from the Americas

Francis Ford CoppolaAge 17

1939–present · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now

PeléAge 16

1940–2022 · Sports

The King of Football, 3 World Cups

Bruce LeeAge 16

1940–1973 · Film & Entertainment

Martial arts legend, Enter the Dragon

John LennonAge 16

1940–1980 · Music

The Beatles, Imagine

Wangari MaathaiAge 16

1940–2011 · Activism & Social Change

Kenyan environmentalist, first African woman Nobel laureate

Bob DylanAge 15

1941–present · Music

Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Muhammad AliAge 14

1942–2016 · Sports

The Greatest, heavyweight boxing champion

Aretha FranklinAge 14

1942–2018 · Music

Queen of Soul, Respect

Jimi HendrixAge 14

1942–1970 · Music

Greatest electric guitarist of all time

Stephen HawkingAge 14

1942–2018 · Science & Invention

Black holes, A Brief History of Time

Billie Jean KingAge 13

1943–present · Sports

Tennis champion, gender equality advocate

George HarrisonAge 13

1943–2001 · Music

The Beatles, My Sweet Lord

Janis JoplinAge 13

1943–1970 · Music

Piece of My Heart, rock and blues

Jim MorrisonAge 13

1943–1971 · Music

The Doors, Light My Fire

Aung San Suu KyiAge 11

1945–present · Activism & Social Change

Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate

Bob MarleyAge 11

1945–1981 · Music

Reggae icon, One Love

Freddie MercuryAge 10

1946–1991 · Music

Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody

Steven SpielbergAge 10

1946–present · Film & Entertainment

Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director

David BowieAge 9

1947–2016 · Music

Ziggy Stardust, musical chameleon

Haruki MurakamiAge 7

1949–present · Literature

Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction

Robin WilliamsAge 5

1951–2014 · Film & Entertainment

Good Will Hunting, comedy genius

Oprah WinfreyAge 2

1954–present · Film & Entertainment

Media mogul, cultural icon

Steve JobsAge 1

1955–2011 · Business & Industry

Co-founded Apple, changed technology