NNDB
This is a beta version of NNDB
Search: for
Religion: Atheist

LISTS

See also Agnostics.

NameOccupationBirthDeathKnown for
Forrest J. Ackerman
Author
24-Nov-1916 4-Dec-2008 Mr. Science Fiction
Douglas Adams
Author
11-Mar-1952 11-May-2001 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Scott Adams
Cartoonist
8-Jun-1957   Creator, Dilbert
Steve Albini
Music Producer
22-Jul-1962   Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac
Brandy Alexandre
Pornstar
17-Jul-1964   Twin Peeks, Whore of the Roses
Zhores I. Alferov
Scientist
15-Mar-1930   Developed solar cells for the Sputnik program
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Activist
13-Nov-1969   Submission
Salvador Allende
Head of State
26-Jul-1908 11-Sep-1973 Chilean President, deposed by Pinochet
Pedro Almodóvar
Film Director
25-Sep-1951   Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Barbara Amiel
Journalist
4-Dec-1940   Director of The Spectator
Natalie Angier
Journalist
16-Feb-1958   Science reporter
Lance Armstrong
Cyclist
18-Sep-1971   7-time Tour De France winner
Svante Arrhenius
Chemist
19-Feb-1859 2-Oct-1927 Explored electrolytic conductivity
Isaac Asimov
Author
2-Jan-1920 6-Apr-1992 Foundation
Julian Assange
Hacker
3-Jul-1971   Founder of Wikileaks
David Attenborough
Naturalist
8-May-1926   Life on Earth
Vincent Auriol
Head of State
27-Aug-1884 1-Jan-1966 President of France, 1947-54
Julius Axelrod
Chemist
30-May-1912 29-Dec-2004 Research of neurotransmitters
A. J. Ayer
Philosopher
29-Oct-1910 27-Jun-1989 Language, Truth and Logic
Mikhail Bakunin
Anarchist
30-May-1814 1-Jul-1876 Pioneer of the Anarchist movement
Dave Barry
Columnist
3-Jul-1947   Dave Barry's Guide to Life
Bill Bass
Scientist
30-Aug-1928   Human decomposition
Simone de Beauvoir
Activist
9-Jan-1908 14-Apr-1986 The Second Sex
Daniel Bell
Sociologist
10-May-1919 25-Jan-2011 The End of Ideology
William Bennett
Musician
1960   Whitehouse
Jeremy Bentham
Philosopher
15-Feb-1748 6-Jun-1832 Proponent of Utilitarianism
Ingmar Bergman
Film Director
14-Jul-1918 30-Jul-2007 Scenes from a Marriage
Lavrenty Beria
Government
29-Mar-1899 23-Dec-1953 Chief of the NKVD, 1940-46
Sali Berisha
Head of State
15-Oct-1944   Prime Minister of Albania
Alexander Berkman
Anarchist
21-Nov-1870 28-Jun-1936 A.B.C. of Anarchism
Hector Berlioz
Composer
11-Dec-1803 8-Mar-1869 French romantic composer
J. D. Bernal
Physicist
10-May-1901 15-Sep-1971 X-ray crystallography
Jello Biafra
Singer
17-Jun-1958   Dead Kennedys
Andy Biersack
Singer
26-Dec-1990   Lead singer, Black Veil Brides
Bjork
Singer/Songwriter
21-Nov-1965   Eccentric Icelandic performer
Susan Blackmore
Author
29-Jul-1951   The Meme Machine
Maurice Blanchot
Philosopher
22-Sep-1907 20-Feb-2003 L'Espace littéraire
Ernst Bloch
Philosopher
8-Jul-1885 4-Aug-1977 Principle of Hope
Pierre Boulez
Composer
26-Mar-1925   Modern composer and conductor
Louise Bourgeois
Sculptor
25-Dec-1911 31-May-2010 Crouching Spider
Paul D. Boyer
Chemist
31-Jul-1918   ATP process
Charles Bradlaugh
Activist
26-Sep-1833 30-Jan-1891 Atheistic Iconoclast
Richard Branson
Business
18-Jul-1950   Founder of Virgin chain
Tinto Brass
Film Director
26-Mar-1933   Caligula
Berke Breathed
Cartoonist
21-Jun-1957   Cartoonist of Bloom County
Bertolt Brecht
Playwright
10-Feb-1898 14-Aug-1956 Mother Courage and Her Children
Dara ำ Briain
Comic
4-Feb-1972   Mock the Week
Percy Williams Bridgman
Physicist
21-Apr-1882 20-Aug-1961 High-pressure physics
Rodney Brooks
Scientist
30-Dec-1954   Robotics and artificial intelligence researcher
Susan Brownmiller
Activist
15-Feb-1935   Feminist, Against Our Will
Giordano Bruno
Scientist
1548 17-Feb-1600 Heretic cosmologist
Peter Buck
Guitarist
6-Dec-1956   R.E.M.
Nikolai Bukharin
Economist
9-Oct-1888 15-Mar-1938 Soviet theoretical economist
Charles Bukowski
Author
16-Aug-1920 9-Mar-1994 Love is a Dog from Hell
Luis Buñuel
Film Director
22-Feb-1900 29-Jul-1983 That Obscure Object of Desire
Walter Bradford Cannon
Scientist
19-Oct-1871 1-Oct-1945 Fight or flight response
George Carlin
Comic
12-May-1937 22-Jun-2008 Seven Dirty Words
John Carmack
Computer Programmer
20-Aug-1970   Lead programmer of Doom, Quake
Adam Carolla
Radio Personality
27-May-1964   Loveline, The Man Show
John Carpenter
Film Director
16-Jan-1948   Escape from New York
Asia Carrera
Pornstar
6-Aug-1973   Mensa member, pornstar
Fidel Castro
Head of State
13-Aug-1926   Dictator of Cuba for almost fifty years
Raúl Castro
Government
3-Jun-1931   President of Cuba
Dick Cavett
Talk Show Host
19-Nov-1936   The Dick Cavett Show
David Chalmers
Philosopher
20-Apr-1966   Philosopher of Consciousness
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Astronomer
19-Oct-1910 21-Aug-1995 Evolutionary stages of stars
Dov Charney
Business
31-Jan-1969   American Apparel CEO
Georges Charpak
Physicist
1-Aug-1924 29-Sep-2010 Subatomic particle detectors
Noam Chomsky
Linguist
7-Dec-1928   Linguist, dissident intellectual
Arthur C. Clarke
Novelist
16-Dec-1917 19-Mar-2008 2001: A Space Odyssey
Nick Clegg
Politician
7-Jan-1967   Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Voltairine de Cleyre
Anarchist
17-Nov-1866 20-Jun-1912 Anarchist without an adjective
Alexander Cockburn
Columnist
6-Jun-1941 20-Jul-2012 The Nation, CounterPunch
Marshall A. Cohen
Business
c. 1935   CEO of Molson, 1988-96
Auguste Comte
Sociologist
19-Jan-1798 5-Sep-1857 Positivist founder of Sociology
John Conway
Mathematician
26-Dec-1937   Game of Life
Wayne Coyne
Musician
13-Jan-1961   Frontman for The Flaming Lips
Francis Crick
Scientist
8-Jun-1916 28-Jul-2004 Co-Discoverer of the structure of DNA
Benedetto Croce
Philosopher
25-Feb-1866 20-Nov-1952 Philosophy of Spirit
David Cronenberg
Film Director
15-Mar-1943   Videodrome
Ben Croshaw
Critic
24-May-1983   Zero Punctuation
David Cross
Actor
4-Apr-1964   Mr. Show with Bob and David
Alan Cumming
Actor
27-Jan-1965   Nightcrawler in X-Men
Peter Cundall
TV Personality
1-Apr-1927   Host of Gardening Australia, 1989-2008
S. E. Cupp
Pundit
23-Feb-1979   Losing Our Religion
Ivor Cutler
Poet
15-Jan-1923 3-Mar-2006 Glasgow Dreamer
Leon Czolgosz
Assassin
1873 29-Oct-1901 President McKinley's assassin
Theodore Dalrymple
Author
11-Oct-1949   Life at the Bottom
Terence Davies
Film Director
10-Nov-1945   The House of Mirth
Frank Dalby Davison
Author
23-Jun-1893 24-May-1970 Dusty
Richard Dawkins
Biologist
26-Mar-1941   Zoologist and evolutionary biologist
Marquis de Sade
Author
2-Jun-1740 2-Dec-1814 120 Days of Sodom
Daniel C. Dennett
Philosopher
28-Mar-1942   Leading Darwinist and philosopher
Jared Diamond
Scientist
10-Sep-1937   Collapse of societies
Ani DiFranco
Singer/Songwriter
23-Sep-1970   Bisexual folk/punk icon
Phyllis Diller
Comic
17-Jul-1917 20-Aug-2012 The original female stand-up comic
Paul Dirac
Physicist
8-Aug-1902 20-Oct-1984 The Principles of Quantum Mechanics
Cory Doctorow
Blogger
17-Jul-1971   Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Micky Dolenz
Actor
8-Mar-1945   Drummer for The Monkees
Joel Dorius
Educator
4-Jan-1919 14-Feb-2006 Professor fired for gay porn arrest
Natalie Dormer
Actor
11-Feb-1982   Anne Boleyn on The Tudors
Ann Druyan
Author
13-Jun-1949   Co-wrote Cosmos with husband Carl Sagan
Felix Dzerzhinsky
Government
11-Sep-1877 20-Jul-1926 The Black Pope of Bolshevism
George Eastman
Inventor
12-Jul-1854 14-Mar-1932 Inventor of the Kodak camera
Umberto Eco
Author
5-Jan-1932   Foucault's Pendulum, The Name of the Rose
Dr. Dean Edell
Radio Personality
c. 1941   Syndicated call-in radio doctor
Barbara Ehrenreich
Author
26-Aug-1941   Nickel and Dimed
Paul R. Ehrlich
Scientist
29-May-1932   The Population Bomb
Albert Einstein
Physicist
14-Mar-1879 18-Apr-1955 Theory of relativity
Albert Ellis
Psychologist
27-Sep-1913 24-Jul-2007 Rational emotive behavior therapy
Warren Ellis
Author
16-Feb-1968   Transmetropolitan
Harlan Ellison
Author
27-May-1934   I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
Brian Eno
Music Producer
15-May-1948   Here Come The Warm Jets
Hugh Everett
Physicist
11-Nov-1930 19-Jul-1982 Many Worlds Theory of quantum physics
Robert Faurisson
Scholar
25-Jan-1929   French Holocaust denier
Ludwig Feuerbach
Philosopher
28-Jul-1804 13-Sep-1872 Das Weses des Christentums
Richard Feynman
Physicist
11-May-1918 15-Feb-1988 Surely he's joking
Joseph Fletcher
Sociologist
10-Apr-1905 28-Oct-1991 Situation ethics
Larry Flynt
Business
1-Nov-1942   Publisher of HUSTLER
Dario Fo
Playwright
26-Mar-1926   Italian playwright and Nobel laureate
Dave Foley
Actor
4-Jan-1963   The Kids in the Hall
Michael Foot
Politician
23-Jul-1913 3-Mar-2010 Leader, House of Commons, 1976-79
Lita Ford
Musician
23-Sep-1959   Band member The Runaways
Jodie Foster
Actor
19-Nov-1962   The Silence of the Lambs
Anatole France
Novelist
16-Apr-1844 13-Oct-1924 French novelist
Frederick the Great
Royalty
24-Jan-1712 17-Aug-1786 King of Prussia 1740-86
Anna Freud
Relative
3-Dec-1895 9-Oct-1982 Daughter of Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Psychiatrist
6-May-1856 23-Sep-1939 Die Traumdeutung
Janeane Garofalo
Comic
28-Sep-1964   Actor, Comedian, Author, Activist
Bob Geldof
Musician
5-Oct-1951   Live Aid, Boomtown Rats
Jack Germond
Columnist
30-Jan-1928   Fat Man in a Middle Seat
Ricky Gervais
Actor
25-Jun-1961   The Office
David Gilmour
Guitarist
6-Mar-1946   Guitarist for Pink Floyd
Vitaly L. Ginzburg
Physicist
4-Oct-1916 8-Nov-2009 Type-II superconductors
Ira Glass
Radio Personality
3-Mar-1959   This American Life
Jean-Luc Godard
Film Director
3-Dec-1930   Vivre sa Vie
Whoopi Goldberg
Actor
13-Nov-1955   Sister Act
Emma Goldman
Anarchist
27-Jun-1869 14-May-1940 Anarchist and feminist libertarian
Al Goldstein
Business
10-Jan-1936   Founder of Screw magazine
Wladyslaw Gomulka
Head of State
6-Feb-1905 1-Sep-1982 Head of Polish Communists, 1956-70
Raisa Gorbachev
First Lady
5-Jan-1932 20-Sep-1999 First Lady of the Soviet Union
Nadine Gordimer
Author
20-Nov-1923   South African novelist
Gordon Gould
Physicist
17-Jul-1920 16-Sep-2005 Invented the laser, arguably
Spalding Gray
Actor
5-Jun-1941 11-Jan-2004 Swimming to Cambodia monologist
Seth Green
Actor
8-Feb-1974   Dr. Evil's son Scott
Sasha Grey
Pornstar
14-Mar-1988   The Girlfriend Experience
Kathy Griffin
Actor
4-Nov-1960   Vicki on Suddenly Susan
Virgil Griffith
Computer Programmer
6-Mar-1983   Author of WikiScanner
Rachel Griffiths
Actor
20-Feb-1968   Brenda Chenowith on Six Feet Under
Shenae Grimes
Actor
24-Oct-1989   Annie Wilson on 90210
Che Guevara
Activist
14-Jun-1928 9-Oct-1967 Revolutionary icon
Jorge Guinle
Socialite
5-Feb-1916 5-Mar-2004 Brazilian playboy
J. B. S. Haldane
Biologist
5-Nov-1892 1-Dec-1964 Haldane's principle
Joe Haldeman
Novelist
9-Jun-1943   The Forever War
Kathleen Hanna
Musician
12-Nov-1969   Riot Grrrl extraordinaire
G. H. Hardy
Mathematician
7-Feb-1877 1-Dec-1947 A Mathematician's Apology
Michael Harrington
Activist
24-Feb-1928 31-Jul-1989 The Other America
Sam Harris
Author
1967   The End of Faith
Harry Harrison
Novelist
12-Mar-1925 15-Aug-2012 Stainless Steel Rat series
Nina Hartley
Pornstar
11-Mar-1959   Little Bill's slutty wife in Boogie Nights
Herbert A. Hauptman
Mathematician
14-Feb-1917 23-Oct-2011 X-ray diffraction studies
Harry Hay
Activist
7-Apr-1912 24-Oct-2002 Gay activist, founder The Mattachine Society
Bill Haywood
Labor Leader
4-Feb-1869 18-May-1928 Industrial Workers of the World
Amber Heard
Actor
22-Apr-1986   And Soon The Darkness
Hugh Hefner
Publisher
9-Apr-1926   Founder, Playboy magazine
Katharine Hepburn
Actor
12-May-1907 29-Jun-2003 The Philadelphia Story
Melville J. Herskovits
Anthropologist
10-Sep-1895 25-Feb-1963 The Myth of the Negro Past
Peter Higgs
Physicist
29-May-1929   Higgs boson and Higgs field
Christopher Hitchens
Journalist
13-Apr-1949 15-Dec-2011 Agent provocateur
Roald Hoffmann
Chemist
18-Jul-1937   Woodward-Hoffmann reaction
Mark W. Hofmann
Criminal
7-Dec-1954   Forger, murderer
Douglas Hofstadter
Author
15-Feb-1945   Godel, Escher, Bach
A. E. Housman
Poet
26-Mar-1859 30-Apr-1936 A Shropshire Lad
Enver Hoxha
Head of State
16-Oct-1908 11-Apr-1985 Ruler of Albania, 1944-85
Russell A. Hulse
Physicist
28-Nov-1950   Co-Discovered first binary pulsar
David Hume
Philosopher
7-May-1711 25-Aug-1776 Empiricist nonpareil
Zora Neale Hurston
Novelist
7-Jan-1891 28-Jan-1960 Their Eyes Were Watching God
John Irving
Novelist
2-Mar-1942   The World According to Garp
Eddie Izzard
Comic
7-Feb-1962   Bloke in a dress going on and on
George Jackson
Criminal
23-Sep-1941 21-Aug-1971 Soledad Brother
J. Hughlings Jackson
Doctor
4-Apr-1835 7-Oct-1911 Father of British neurology
François Jacob
Scientist
17-Jun-1920   Operon theory of genetic control
Susan Jacoby
Author
4-Jun-1945   Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
Stephan Jenkins
Musician
27-Sep-1964   Lead singer, Third Eye Blind
Johannes V. Jensen
Author
20-Jan-1873 25-Nov-1950 The Long Journey
Penn Jillette
Magician
5-Mar-1955   Talking half of the Penn and Teller duo
Jack Johnson
Boxing
31-Mar-1878 10-Jun-1946 First black heavyweight champion
Frédéric Joliot
Physicist
19-Mar-1900 14-Aug-1958 Artificial radioactivity
Irène Joliot-Curie
Physicist
12-Sep-1897 17-Mar-1956 Artificial radioactivity
Neil Jordan
Film Director
25-Feb-1950   The Crying Game
Ted Kaczynski
Criminal
22-May-1942   The Unabomber
Paul Kammerer
Biologist
17-Aug-1880 23-Oct-1926 Proponent of Lamarckian inheritance
Diane Keaton
Actor
5-Jan-1946   Kay in The Godfather films
Jack Kevorkian
Doctor
26-May-1928 3-Jun-2011 Euthanasia enthusiast
Margot Kidder
Actor
17-Oct-1948   Lois Lane in Superman
Mark Tapio Kines
Film Director
26-Apr-1970   Foreign Correspondents
Alfred Kinsey
Scientist
23-Jun-1894 25-Aug-1956 Researched human sexual behavior
James Kirby
Electronic Musician
9-May-1974   V/Vm, The Caretaker
Melanie Klein
Psychologist
30-Mar-1882 22-Sep-1960 The Psychoanalysis of Children
Charles Knowlton
Doctor
10-May-1800 20-Feb-1850 Early advocate of birth control
Arthur Koestler
Author
3-Sep-1905 3-Mar-1983 Darkness at Noon
Joan W. Konner
Journalist
c. 1929   Dean, Columbia School of Journalism, 1988-97
Paul Krassner
Author
9-Apr-1932   Editor, The Realist
Thomas Kretschmann
Actor
8-Sep-1962   Immortel
Sir Harold Kroto
Chemist
7-Oct-1939   Co-Discovered fullerenes
Paul Kurtz
Philosopher
21-Dec-1925   The pope of unbelievers
Ray Kurzweil
Inventor
12-Feb-1948   Age of Spiritual Machines
Aleksander Kwasniewski
Head of State
15-Nov-1954   President of Poland, 1995-2005
Corliss Lamont
Activist
28-Mar-1902 26-Apr-1995 Millionaire socialist
Elsa Lanchester
Actor
28-Oct-1902 26-Dec-1986 Bride of Frankenstein
Lev Landau
Physicist
22-Jan-1908 1-Apr-1968 Superfluidity of helium
Chris Langton
Biologist
1948   Father of Artificial Life
Ring Lardner, Jr.
Playwright
19-Aug-1915 31-Oct-2000 Screenwriter, M*A*S*H
Gerald A. Larue
Scholar
?   The Way of Positive Humanism
Hugh Laurie
Actor
11-Jun-1959   Jeeves and Wooster, House
Alphonse Laveran
Doctor
18-Jun-1845 18-May-1922 Found the parasite that causes malaria
Tom Lehrer
Comic
9-Apr-1928   Comedic songwriter
Stanislaw Lem
Author
12-Sep-1921 27-Mar-2006 Solaris
Lemmy
Singer
24-Dec-1945   Bassist for Motorhead
Vladimir Lenin
Head of State
22-Apr-1870 21-Jan-1924 Revolutionary leader of Soviet Union
Michael Lewis
Author
15-Oct-1960   Liar's Poker
Tom Leykis
Radio Personality
1-Aug-1956   Syndicated talk radio host
James Lick
Business
25-Aug-1796 1-Oct-1876 Lick Observatory
Abraham Lincoln
Head of State
12-Feb-1809 15-Apr-1865 16th US President, 1861-65
Till Lindemann
Singer
4-Jan-1963   Rammstein frontman
Jared Loughner
Assassin
10-Sep-1988   Tucson Safeway shooter
H. P. Lovecraft
Author
20-Aug-1890 15-Mar-1937 The Call of Cthulhu
Heather Mac Donald
Columnist
c. 1956   Neoconservative bombthrower
Seth MacFarlane
Actor
26-Oct-1973   Creator of Family Guy
John Malkovich
Actor
9-Dec-1953   Subject of Being John Malkovich
Marilyn Manson
Singer
5-Jan-1969   Goth shock rocker
Christopher Marlowe
Playwright
6-Feb-1564 30-May-1593 Doctor Faustus
Karl Marx
Economist
5-May-1818 14-Mar-1883 Das Kapital, Communist Manifesto
Ernst Mayr
Biologist
5-Jul-1904 3-Feb-2005 Evolutionary biologist
John McCarthy
Computer Programmer
4-Sep-1927 24-Oct-2011 Created LISP programming language
Malachy McCourt
Actor
20-Sep-1931   Father Meehan on Oz
Michael McDermott
Criminal
4-Sep-1958   Mucko killed seven coworkers
Ian McEwan
Novelist
21-Jun-1948   Amsterdam
Todd McFarlane
Cartoonist
16-Mar-1961   Spawn
Ian McKellen
Actor
25-May-1939   Gandalf the Grey
Margaret A. McKenna
Educator
c. 1946   President of Lesley University, 1985-2007
Butterfly McQueen
Actor
7-Jan-1911 22-Dec-1995 Gone with the Wind
H. L. Mencken
Critic
12-Sep-1880 29-Jan-1956 The American Language
Stephen Merchant
Film/TV Producer
24-Nov-1974   The Office, Extras
Tom Metzger
Activist
9-Apr-1938   White supremacist
Anastas Mikoyan
Politician
25-Nov-1895 21-Oct-1978 Knew where the shrimps stay in winter
Marvin Minsky
Scientist
9-Aug-1927   Father of Artificial Intelligence
Peter Mitchell
Chemist
29-Sep-1920 10-Apr-1992 ADP to ATP conversion in mitochondia
Momus
Critic
11-Feb-1960   Scottish music critic, famous for 15 people
Jacques Monod
Scientist
9-Feb-1910 31-May-1976 Operon theory of genetic control
Mo Mowlam
Politician
18-Sep-1949 19-Aug-2005 Former Labour MP
Martin Mull
Comic
18-Aug-1943   Fernwood Tonight
Hermann J. Muller
Scientist
21-Dec-1890 5-Apr-1967 Genetic effects of radiation
Cillian Murphy
Actor
25-May-1976   Disco Pigs
Benito Mussolini
Head of State
29-Jul-1883 28-Apr-1945 Fascist Dictator of Italy
Thomas Nagel
Philosopher
4-Jul-1937   What is it like to be a bat?
Ted Nelson
Computer Programmer
17-Jun-1937   Hypertext pioneer, Xanadu
Michael Newdow
Activist
24-Jun-1953   Waged war against "under God"
Ingrid Newkirk
Activist
11-Jul-1949   President of PETA
Randy Newman
Songwriter
28-Nov-1943   I Love L.A., Short People
Jack Nicholson
Actor
22-Apr-1937   Chinatown
Robert Nozick
Philosopher
16-Nov-1938 23-Jan-2002 Libertarian philosopher
Gary Numan
Musician
8-Mar-1958   Cars
Bill Nye
TV Personality
27-Nov-1955   Bill Nye the Science Guy
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Religion
13-Apr-1919 Sep-1995 Atheist spokeswoman
Bernardo O'Higgins
Head of State
20-Aug-1778 24-Oct-1842 Supreme Director of Chile, 1817-23
Barack Obama, Sr.
Relative
18-Jun-1936 24-Nov-1982 Father of President Barack Obama
Revilo P. Oliver
Activist
7-Jul-1908 10-Aug-1994 Founding member, John Birch Society
Culbert L. Olson
Politician
7-Nov-1876 13-Apr-1962 Governor of California, 1939-43
Patton Oswalt
Comic
27-Jan-1969   Mr. Show, King of Queens
Kerry Packer
Business
17-Dec-1937 26-Dec-2005 Richest man in Australia
Camille Paglia
Author
2-Apr-1947   Self-described feminist
Carl Panzram
Criminal
28-Jun-1891 5-Sep-1930 Relentless sociopath, serial killer
Albert Parsons
Activist
20-Jun-1848 11-Nov-1887 Haymarket Martyr
Lucy Parsons
Anarchist
1853 7-Mar-1942 Anarchist labor organizer
Andy Partridge
Musician
11-Nov-1953   XTC singer/songwriter
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Film Director
5-Mar-1922 2-Nov-1975 Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom
Robert Patrick
Actor
5-Nov-1958   Mimetic polyalloy in Terminator 2
Mark Pauline
Performance Artist
14-Dec-1953   Survival Research Labs
Linus Pauling
Chemist
28-Feb-1901 19-Aug-1994 Scientist and peacenik
John Allen Paulos
Mathematician
4-Jul-1945   Innumeracy
Simon Pegg
Actor
14-Feb-1970   Shaun of the Dead
Leonard Peikoff
Philosopher
15-Oct-1933   Proseletyzer of objectivism
Harvey Pekar
Author
8-Oct-1939 12-Jul-2010 American Splendor
Roger Penrose
Mathematician
8-Aug-1931   Theory of cosmic censorship
Philippe II, duc d'Orléans
Royalty
2-Aug-1674 2-Dec-1723 Regent of France, 1715-23
Steven Pinker
Linguist
18-Sep-1954   The Language Instinct
Paula Poundstone
Comic
29-Dec-1959   Asexual comic
Terry Pratchett
Novelist
28-Apr-1948   Discworld sci-fi series
Philip Pullman
Novelist
19-Oct-1946   His Dark Materials
Robin Quivers
Talk Show Host
8-Aug-1952   Howard Stern's sidekick
Daniel Radcliffe
Actor
23-Jul-1989   Harry Potter
David Rakoff
Author
27-Nov-1964 9-Aug-2012 Don't Get Too Comfortable
Ted Rall
Cartoonist
26-Aug-1963   Godless heathen cartoonist
Ayn Rand
Author
2-Feb-1905 6-Mar-1982 Atlas Shrugged
James Randi
Magician
7-Aug-1928   The Amazing Randi
Rands
Blogger
1970   Managing Humans
Ron Reagan
Relative
28-May-1958   Son of Ronald Reagan
Wilhelm Reich
Scientist
24-Mar-1897 3-Nov-1957 Founder of Orgonomy
Oscar Riddle
Biologist
27-Sep-1877 29-Nov-1968 Prolactin
Diego Rivera
Painter
8-Dec-1886 24-Nov-1957 Mexican painter
Geraldo Rivera
Journalist
4-Jul-1943   Fox News commentator
Rene Rivkin
Business
6-Jun-1944 1-May-2005 Disgraced Australian stockbroker
Chris Robinson
Musician
20-Dec-1966   Lead singer, The Black Crowes
Ernestine Rose
Activist
13-Jan-1810 4-Aug-1892 Suffragette and abolitionist
Henry Roth
Author
8-Feb-1906 13-Oct-1995 Call It Sleep
Murray Rothbard
Economist
2-Mar-1926 7-Jan-1995 Anarcho-capitalist
Arundhati Roy
Author
24-Nov-1961   The God of Small Things
Jane Rule
Author
28-Mar-1931 27-Nov-2007 Desert of the Heart
Douglas Rushkoff
Author
18-Feb-1961   Cyberculture analyst
Bertrand Russell
Mathematician
18-May-1872 2-Feb-1970 Mathematician, atheist, and social critic
Oliver Sacks
Doctor
9-Jul-1933   Awakenings
Carl Sagan
Astronomer
9-Nov-1934 20-Dec-1996 Popular astronomer, host of Cosmos
Margaret Sanger
Activist
14-Sep-1879 6-Sep-1966 Birth control advocate
José Saramago
Author
16-Nov-1922 18-Jun-2010 Brilliant Portuguese novelist
Wallace Sargent
Astronomer
15-Feb-1935   Astrophysicist at CalTech
Jean-Paul Sartre
Philosopher
21-Jun-1905 15-Apr-1980 Nausea, No Exit
Dan Savage
Columnist
7-Oct-1964   Weekly sex columnist
John Sayles
Film Director
28-Sep-1950   The Secret of Roan Inish
John Searle
Philosopher
Dec-1932   Chinese Room Argument, Philosopher of Language
Mobutu Sese Seko
Head of State
14-Oct-1930 7-Sep-1997 Dictator, bled Zaire dry
Captain Sensible
Bassist
23-Apr-1954   Ex-bassist, The Damned
Claude Shannon
Scientist
30-Apr-1916 24-Feb-2001 Pioneer in information theory
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Poet
4-Aug-1792 8-Jul-1822 Prometheus Unbound
Michael Shermer
Journalist
8-Sep-1954   Skeptic Magazine
Claude Simon
Novelist
10-Oct-1913 6-Jul-2005 Le Tricheur
Clive Sinclair
Business
30-Jul-1940   Sinclair ZX80
Stellan Skarsgård
Actor
13-Jun-1951   Breaking the Waves
B. F. Skinner
Psychologist
20-Mar-1904 18-Aug-1990 Radical Behaviorism
Michael Smith
Chemist
26-Apr-1932 4-Oct-2000 Oligonucleotide-based mutagenesis
Robert Smith
Musician
21-Apr-1959   Lead singer of The Cure
Steven Soderbergh
Film Director
14-Jan-1963   Traffic
Todd Solondz
Film Director
15-Oct-1959   Welcome to the Dollhouse
George Soros
Business
12-Aug-1930   Financial speculator
Mira Sorvino
Actor
28-Sep-1967   Mighty Aphrodite
Carl Spitteler
Poet
24-Apr-1845 29-Dec-1924 The Olympic Spring
Lysander Spooner
Activist
19-Jan-1808 14-May-1887 No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority
John Stagliano
Pornstar
29-Nov-1950   Adventures of Buttman
Josef Stalin
Head of State
18-Dec-1878 5-Mar-1953 Brutal dictator, Soviet Union
Richard Stallman
Computer Programmer
16-Mar-1953   Founder, GNU software project
Doug Stanhope
Comic
25-Mar-1967   The Man Show
Pete Stark
Politician
11-Nov-1931   Congressman, California 13th
Peter Steele
Musician
4-Jan-1962 14-Apr-2010 Frontman for Type O Negative
Bruce Sterling
Author
14-Apr-1954   Schismatrix
Lynne Stewart
Attorney
8-Oct-1939   Attorney convicted of supporting the Islamic Group
Sticky Fingaz
Musician
3-Apr-1970   Black Trash
Oliver Stone
Film Director
15-Sep-1946   JFK
Leo Strauss
Philosopher
20-Sep-1899 18-Oct-1973 Patron saint of Neoconservatism
John E. Sulston
Scientist
27-Mar-1942   Genetic regulation of organ development
Kim Il Sung
Head of State
15-Apr-1912 8-Jul-1994 North Korea's official deity
Donald Sutherland
Actor
17-Jul-1935   The Dirty Dozen
Julia Sweeney
Comic
10-Oct-1959   Androgyne Pat on Saturday Night Live
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Poet
5-Apr-1837 10-Apr-1909 Masochist Victorian poet
Matt Taibbi
Journalist
2-Mar-1970   The Great Derangement
James Taranto
Columnist
1966   Wall Street Journal
Teller
Magician
14-Feb-1948   The nonspeaking half of Penn and Teller
H. Brian Thompson
Business
c. 1940   Global Telecom & Technology
Pat Tillman
Military
6-Nov-1976 22-Apr-2004 NFL player turned Army Ranger
Linus Torvalds
Computer Programmer
28-Dec-1969   Created the kernel for the GNU/Linux OS
B. Traven
Novelist
c. 1890 26-Mar-1969 Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Leon Trotsky
Activist
26-Oct-1879 21-Aug-1940 Bolshevik exile, murdered by Stalin
Alan Turing
Mathematician
23-Jun-1912 7-Jun-1954 Computing pioneer
Mark Twain
Author
30-Nov-1835 21-Apr-1910 Huckleberry Finn
Tyler, The Creator
Rapper
6-Mar-1991   OFWGKTA rapper
Harold C. Urey
Chemist
29-Apr-1893 5-Jan-1981 Discovered Deuterium
Vincent van Gogh
Painter
30-Mar-1853 29-Jul-1890 Troubled and brilliant painter
Eddie Vedder
Singer
23-Dec-1964   Lead singer, Pearl Jam
Craig Venter
Biologist
14-Oct-1946   Engineered the first man-made bacterial cell
Jesse Ventura
Wrestling
15-Jul-1951   Wrestler turned Governor of Minnesota
Gore Vidal
Author
3-Oct-1925 31-Jul-2012 Visit to a Small Planet
Kurt Vonnegut
Novelist
11-Nov-1922 11-Apr-2007 Slaughterhouse Five
Sarah Vowell
Radio Personality
27-Dec-1969   This American Life
Andrei Vyshinsky
Government
10-Dec-1883 22-Nov-1954 Soviet Prosecutor General during the Great Purge
Roger Waters
Songwriter
9-Sep-1943   Bassist for Pink Floyd
James Watson
Scientist
6-Apr-1928   Co-Discoverer of DNA
Randy Weaver
Victim
3-Jan-1948   Ruby Ridge Incident
Steven Weinberg
Physicist
3-May-1933   Electroweak Theory
Gene Weingarten
Columnist
2-Oct-1951   Below the Beltway
Joss Whedon
Film/TV Producer
23-Jun-1964   Creator of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly
Leslie A. White
Anthropologist
19-Jan-1900 31-Mar-1975 The Science of Culture
Geert Wilders
Politician
6-Sep-1963   Dutch Freedom Party
John Wilmot
Poet
1-Apr-1647 26-Jul-1680 Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery
Mike Wilson
Film Director
18-Feb-1976   Michael Moore Hates America
David Wojnarowicz
Artist
14-Sep-1955 22-Jul-1992 One Day This Kid
Steve Wozniak
Computer Programmer
11-Aug-1950   Co-Founder of Apple Computer
Frances Wright
Activist
6-Sep-1795 13-Dec-1852 Utopian abolitionist
Will Wright
Computer Programmer
20-Jan-1960   Created SimCity, The Sims
Wilhelm Wundt
Psychologist
16-Aug-1832 31-Aug-1920 Father of Experimental Psychology
Matthew Yglesias
Blogger
18-May-1981   Big Media Matt
Eliezer Yudkowsky
Scientist
11-Sep-1979   Co-Founder, Singularity Institute
Giuseppe Zangara
Assassin
7-Sep-1900 20-Mar-1933 Tried to kill Franklin D. Roosevelt
Frank Zappa
Composer
21-Dec-1940 4-Dec-1993 Joe's Garage
Philip Zimbardo
Psychologist
23-Mar-1933   1971 Stanford Prison Experiment
Fritz Zwicky
Astronomer
14-Feb-1898 8-Feb-1974 Astrophysicist at CalTech





Copyright ©2025

๐ŸŽ„
Merry Christmas

or happy holidays, whatever

from the NNDB staff

โ„๏ธ โญ โ„๏ธ
๐Ÿ“š
Bibliographies

NNDB has added thousands of bibliographies for people, organizations, schools, and general topics โ€” listing more than 50,000 books and 120,000 other references.

Access via the "Bibliography" tab or the "Related Topics" sidebar.