Historical & mythological gallery

The Universal and Inclusive Collection of Historical and Mythological Figures

Hundreds of famous and lesser-known figures (and growing), women and men, from every continent and every era — from Antiquity to the 21st century. Free, bilingual, and made to spark your curiosity.

3,671 figures · 6 continents · 8 eras

Today, November 11

Born on November 11

Portrait of Trần Nhân Tông

Trần Nhân Tông

1258 — 1308

PoliticsMilitarySpirituality

Third emperor of the Trần dynasty in Đại Việt (r. 1278–1293), he led the victorious resistance against two Mongol invasions under Kublai Khan (1285, 1287). After abdicating, he became a Buddhist monk and founded the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử sect, the first truly Vietnamese school of Chan meditation.

Portrait of Étienne de La Boétie

Étienne de La Boétie

1530 — 1563

LiteraturePhilosophy

French Renaissance writer, poet, and statesman (1530–1563). Author of the celebrated Discourse on Voluntary Servitude, he questioned why people accept oppression. A close friend of Montaigne, he embodies the critical humanist thought of the 16th century.

Portrait of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville

Louis-Antoine de Bougainville

1729 — 1811

ExplorationMilitary

French navigator and naval officer (1729–1811), he completed the first French circumnavigation of the globe (1766–1769), bringing back accounts of Tahiti that fuelled the myth of the noble savage. He was also a mathematician and played a role in the Seven Years' War.

Portrait of Paul Signac

Paul Signac

1863 — 1935

Visual Arts

Paul Signac was a French painter and a major figure of Neo-Impressionism. Together with Georges Seurat, he developed and theorized Divisionism (or Pointillism), a technique based on the juxtaposition of strokes of pure color.

Portrait of René Clair

René Clair

1898 — 1981

Performing ArtsLiterature

René Clair (1898–1981) was one of the pioneers of French sound cinema. A director, screenwriter, and writer, he created poetic and satirical works such as "Under the Roofs of Paris" and "À nous la liberté". He was the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française, in 1960.

Portrait of Carlos Fuentes

Carlos Fuentes

1928 — 2012

Literature

Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) was a Mexican novelist, essayist, and diplomat, a major figure of the Latin American literary “boom.” His work examines Mexican identity and the legacy of the conquest through modern, richly layered writing.

Portrait of Mildred Dresselhaus

Mildred Dresselhaus

1930 — 2017

Sciences

American physicist nicknamed the “queen of carbon” for her pioneering work on the electronic structure of graphite and carbon-based materials. Her research paved the way for carbon nanotubes and graphene.

The gallery

Remarkable figures, from here and elsewhere

Queens, inventors, warriors, thinkers, artists and deities — a selection that changes every day.

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The Charactorium game, on iPhone

Revive the forgotten figures of History, one at a time.

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