BIOLOGIST
Rosalind Franklin
1920 - 1958

Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Elsie Franklin (25 July 1920 – 16 April 1958) was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Her work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite. Although her works on coal and viruses were appreciated in her lifetime, Franklin's contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely unrecognised during her life, for which Franklin has been variously referred to as the "wronged heroine", the "dark lady of DNA", the "forgotten heroine", a "feminist icon", and the "Sylvia Plath of molecular biology". Franklin graduated in 1941 with a degree in natural sciences from Newnham College, Cambridge, and then enrolled for a PhD in physical chemistry under Ronald George Wreyford Norrish, the 1920 Chair of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. Read more on Wikipedia
Her biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Rosalind Franklin is the 11th most popular biologist, the 142nd most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 122nd in 2019) and the 3rd most popular British Biologist.
Rosalind Franklin discovered the double helix structure of DNA.
Memorability Metrics
Page views of Rosalind Franklin by language
Among BIOLOGISTS
Among biologists, Rosalind Franklin ranks 11 out of 1,097. Before her are James Watson, Ivan Pavlov, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Ernst Haeckel, and Konrad Lorenz. After her are Karl Landsteiner, Robert Edwards, Robert Brown, Georges Cuvier, George Beadle, and Alfred Russel Wallace.
Most Popular Biologists in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsJames Watson
1928 - Present
HPI: 83.14
Rank: 5
Ivan Pavlov
1849 - 1936
HPI: 83.05
Rank: 6
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
1632 - 1723
HPI: 82.46
Rank: 7
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
1744 - 1829
HPI: 82.06
Rank: 8
Ernst Haeckel
1834 - 1919
HPI: 79.95
Rank: 9
Konrad Lorenz
1903 - 1989
HPI: 79.42
Rank: 10
Rosalind Franklin
1920 - 1958
HPI: 79.24
Rank: 11
Karl Landsteiner
1868 - 1943
HPI: 79.16
Rank: 12
Robert Edwards
1925 - 2013
HPI: 78.39
Rank: 13
Robert Brown
1773 - 1858
HPI: 78.23
Rank: 14
Georges Cuvier
1769 - 1832
HPI: 77.69
Rank: 15
George Beadle
1903 - 1989
HPI: 77.63
Rank: 16
Alfred Russel Wallace
1823 - 1913
HPI: 77.41
Rank: 17
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1920, Rosalind Franklin ranks 6. Before her are Pope John Paul II, Federico Fellini, Isaac Asimov, Yul Brynner, and Charles Bukowski. After her are Toshiro Mifune, Farouk of Egypt, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Ray Bradbury, George Shultz, and Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. Among people deceased in 1958, Rosalind Franklin ranks 2. Before her is Pope Pius XII. After her are Wolfgang Pauli, Imre Nagy, Roger Martin du Gard, Frédéric Joliot-Curie, Kurt Alder, Tyrone Power, Faisal II of Iraq, Clinton Davisson, Ernest Lawrence, and John B. Watson.
Others Born in 1920
Go to all RankingsPope John Paul II
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1920 - 2005
HPI: 92.56
Rank: 1
Federico Fellini
FILM DIRECTOR
1920 - 1993
HPI: 82.49
Rank: 2
Isaac Asimov
WRITER
1920 - 1992
HPI: 81.85
Rank: 3
Yul Brynner
ACTOR
1920 - 1985
HPI: 81.16
Rank: 4
Charles Bukowski
WRITER
1920 - 1994
HPI: 80.23
Rank: 5
Rosalind Franklin
BIOLOGIST
1920 - 1958
HPI: 79.24
Rank: 6
Toshiro Mifune
ACTOR
1920 - 1997
HPI: 79.11
Rank: 7
Farouk of Egypt
POLITICIAN
1920 - 1965
HPI: 78.19
Rank: 8
Juan Antonio Samaranch
POLITICIAN
1920 - 2010
HPI: 77.38
Rank: 9
Ray Bradbury
WRITER
1920 - 2012
HPI: 77.38
Rank: 10
George Shultz
ECONOMIST
1920 - 2021
HPI: 76.07
Rank: 11
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
POLITICIAN
1920 - 2020
HPI: 75.90
Rank: 12
Others Deceased in 1958
Go to all RankingsPope Pius XII
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1876 - 1958
HPI: 87.71
Rank: 1
Rosalind Franklin
BIOLOGIST
1920 - 1958
HPI: 79.24
Rank: 2
Wolfgang Pauli
PHYSICIST
1900 - 1958
HPI: 78.12
Rank: 3
Imre Nagy
POLITICIAN
1896 - 1958
HPI: 77.93
Rank: 4
Roger Martin du Gard
WRITER
1881 - 1958
HPI: 77.76
Rank: 5
Frédéric Joliot-Curie
PHYSICIST
1900 - 1958
HPI: 77.57
Rank: 6
Kurt Alder
CHEMIST
1902 - 1958
HPI: 75.78
Rank: 7
Tyrone Power
ACTOR
1914 - 1958
HPI: 75.74
Rank: 8
Faisal II of Iraq
POLITICIAN
1935 - 1958
HPI: 75.71
Rank: 9
Clinton Davisson
PHYSICIST
1881 - 1958
HPI: 75.46
Rank: 10
Ernest Lawrence
PHYSICIST
1901 - 1958
HPI: 75.41
Rank: 11
John B. Watson
PSYCHOLOGIST
1878 - 1958
HPI: 75.34
Rank: 12
In United Kingdom
Among people born in United Kingdom, Rosalind Franklin ranks 142 out of 8,785. Before her are Christopher Lee (1922), Mary Shelley (1797), William Harvey (1578), Catherine Parr (1512), Macbeth, King of Scotland (1005), and Henry Morgan (1635). After her are Brian Josephson (1940), Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (1857), Nicholas Winton (1909), Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806), William Ramsay (1852), and J. M. W. Turner (1775).
Others born in United Kingdom
Go to all RankingsChristopher Lee
ACTOR
1922 - 2015
HPI: 79.50
Rank: 136
Mary Shelley
WRITER
1797 - 1851
HPI: 79.46
Rank: 137
William Harvey
PHYSICIAN
1578 - 1657
HPI: 79.40
Rank: 138
Catherine Parr
COMPANION
1512 - 1548
HPI: 79.40
Rank: 139
Macbeth, King of Scotland
POLITICIAN
1005 - 1057
HPI: 79.37
Rank: 140
Henry Morgan
PIRATE
1635 - 1688
HPI: 79.30
Rank: 141
Rosalind Franklin
BIOLOGIST
1920 - 1958
HPI: 79.24
Rank: 142
Brian Josephson
PHYSICIST
1940 - Present
HPI: 79.14
Rank: 143
Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom
NOBLEMAN
1857 - 1944
HPI: 79.13
Rank: 144
Nicholas Winton
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1909 - 2015
HPI: 79.12
Rank: 145
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
WRITER
1806 - 1861
HPI: 79.12
Rank: 146
William Ramsay
CHEMIST
1852 - 1916
HPI: 79.11
Rank: 147
J. M. W. Turner
PAINTER
1775 - 1851
HPI: 79.11
Rank: 148
Among BIOLOGISTS In United Kingdom
Among biologists born in United Kingdom, Rosalind Franklin ranks 3. Before her are Charles Darwin (1809), and Alexander Fleming (1881). After her are Robert Edwards (1925), Robert Brown (1773), Alfred Russel Wallace (1823), John Boyd Orr (1880), Thomas Henry Huxley (1825), John Sulston (1942), Francis Crick (1916), John Edward Gray (1800), and Christian de Duve (1917).
Charles Darwin
1809 - 1882
HPI: 91.48
Rank: 1
Alexander Fleming
1881 - 1955
HPI: 84.76
Rank: 2
Rosalind Franklin
1920 - 1958
HPI: 79.24
Rank: 3
Robert Edwards
1925 - 2013
HPI: 78.39
Rank: 4
Robert Brown
1773 - 1858
HPI: 78.23
Rank: 5
Alfred Russel Wallace
1823 - 1913
HPI: 77.41
Rank: 6
John Boyd Orr
1880 - 1971
HPI: 76.14
Rank: 7
Thomas Henry Huxley
1825 - 1895
HPI: 75.76
Rank: 8
John Sulston
1942 - 2018
HPI: 75.52
Rank: 9
Francis Crick
1916 - 2004
HPI: 74.94
Rank: 10
John Edward Gray
1800 - 1875
HPI: 74.46
Rank: 11
Christian de Duve
1917 - 2013
HPI: 74.14
Rank: 12