DataBroadcast What if you could visualize the birthplaces of the world’s most famous people? This is exactly what Topi Chukanov achieved with his fascinating Notable People Map, which plots the birthplaces of 2 million historical figures. The result? A captivating, zoomable world map that reveals surprising patterns of fame and influence across history.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
How is the Data Ranked?
At first glance, when looking at the map from a distance, only the most universally recognized names stand out—Leonardo da Vinci, Cristiano Ronaldo, Adolf Hitler—a striking mix of figures from vastly different domains. But as you zoom in, lesser-known names begin to emerge, such as Jean Piveteau, a paleontologist who discovered a new dinosaur species, or Baron du Potet, a 19th-century magnetizer known for his painful healing techniques.
But how is fame quantified? How does Madonna rank 32nd while Jesus Christ is placed at 2004th? The dataset comes from Wikidata, the vast knowledge base that feeds Wikipedia. To determine notability, several factors were taken into account:
| Ranking Factor | Description |
|---|---|
Number of Wikipedia edits | Total times a person’s Wikipedia page has been edited. |
Completeness of biographical data | Availability of key details like birth date, gender, and field of influence. |
Total word count | Number of words in the Wikipedia biography. |
Annual Wikipedia page views | Average yearly visits (measured between 2015 and 2018). |
Number of external references | Count of external links citing the biography. |
The Biases in Measuring Fame
Of course, this methodology is not flawless. The researchers behind the dataset acknowledge several biases:
- Linguistic Bias – The data was consolidated from Western languages, meaning figures from other linguistic backgrounds may be underrepresented.
- Historical Bias – The further back in time, the fewer recorded figures exist. Modern individuals are more likely to have a Wikipedia page.
The ranking also reflects historical trends. A graph of fame over time highlights distinct shifts in notable figures:
- Religious leaders dominate from Jesus Christ through the Middle Ages.
- Nobles and rulers hold prominence throughout medieval Europe.
- The rise of sports and entertainment figures explodes in the 20th century.
Curious Anomalies on the Map
One of the most intriguing aspects of the map? The unexpected birthplaces of some individuals. For instance:
- Raimo Vistbacka, a Finnish politician, appears to have been born in the middle of the ocean. It turns out he was born on a boat in 1939 while his family was fleeing war.
- Rio Mavuba, former captain of French club Lille OSC, was also born at sea while escaping conflict.
The map also invites collective fact-checking. If you’re an expert on a historical figure, you might spot errors in birthplace data—a natural limitation of automated datasets.
A Visual Triumph of Data Science
Topi Chukanov spent 10 hours assembling this incredible visualization, which feels like an intuitive, interactive atlas of human influence. Despite its subjectivity, the ranking system offers a remarkable snapshot of how fame is distributed across time and geography.