Occupation

INVENTORS

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With 426 biographies, Inventors are the 40th most common occupation in Pantheon, behind Skaters, Coaches, and Chess Players.

People

Pantheon has 426 people classified as inventors born between 48 and 2005. Of these 426, 40 (9.39%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living inventors include Elon Musk, Jimmy Wales, and Ernő Rubik. The most famous deceased inventors include Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison. As of April 2024, 1 new inventors have been added to Pantheon including Gitanjali Rao.

Living Inventors

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Deceased Inventors

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Newly Added Inventors (2025)

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Places

Most inventors were born in United States (132), United Kingdom (68), and Germany (45). By city, the most common birth places were Paris (10), Philadelphia (8), and London (5).

Places Over Time

The earliest biographies classified as inventors in Pantheon are Thonmi Sambhota, Mary the Jewess, and Cai Lun.  The concentration of inventors was largest during the Newspaper Era, which lasted from 1700 to 1899. Some birth or death locations for earlier inventors are unknown, which may account for timeline differences below.

Lifespans

Which Inventors were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 25 most globally memorable Inventors since 1700.