callings of the archive
Writer Biographies
Every archived life recorded as writer, ordered by their place in the ledger.
Modern era
José López Portillo
June 16, 1920 – February 17, 2004
58th President of Mexico
Contemporary era
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
b. March 30, 1963
Mongolian politician
Contemporary era
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
b. June 1, 1958
Mongolian politician, Leader of Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
Contemporary era
Rifat Rastoder
July 11, 1950 – May 4, 2023
Montenegrin Bosniak politician
Ancient era
Paul the Apostle
5 CE – 66 CE
Early Christian apostle and missionary (c. AD 5 – c. 64/65)
Ancient era
Confucius
552 BCE – 479 BCE
Chinese philosopher whose ethics shaped East Asian civilization for 2,500 years
Ancient era
Laozi
604 BCE – c. 500 BCE
6th-century BC semi-legendary Chinese philosopher, founder of Taoism
Ancient era
Zoroaster
628 BCE – 551 BCE
Founder of Zoroastrianism
Medieval era
Guru Nanak
April 15, 1469 – September 22, 1539
First Sikh Guru and founder of Sikhism
Medieval era
Adi Shankara
788 CE – 820 CE
An Indian philosopher and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta and revitalized Sanskrit scholasticism.
Medieval era
Rumi
September 30, 1207 – December 17, 1273
Persian poet and Sufi mystic, among the best-selling poets in the world today
Medieval era
Thomas Aquinas
January 25, 1225 – March 7, 1274
Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church (1225–1274)
Medieval era
Francis of Assisi
June 24, 1182 – October 3, 1226
Italian Catholic saint, friar, deacon and preacher and founder of the Franciscan Order (1181/2–1226)
Medieval era
Hildegard of Bingen
1098 – September 17, 1179
German Benedictine abbess, polymath, mystic and Doctor of Church (1098–1179)
Early Modern era
Teresa of Avila
March 28, 1515 – October 15, 1582
Roman Catholic saint (1515-1582)
Modern era
Bahaullah
November 12, 1817 – May 29, 1892
Founder of the Bahá'í Faith (1817–1892)
Modern era
Swami Vivekananda
January 12, 1863 – July 4, 1902
Indian Hindu monk and philosopher (1863–1902)
Modern era
Pope Francis
December 17, 1936 – April 21, 2025
266th pope of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025 (1936–2025)
Modern era
Thich Nhat Hanh
October 11, 1926 – January 22, 2022
Vietnamese Buddhist monk and activist (1926–2022)
Medieval era
Muawiya I
603 CE – 680 CE
Founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (r. 661–680)
Ancient era
Demosthenes
384 BCE – 322 BCE
Classical Athenian statesman and orator (384–322 BC)
Ancient era
Herodotus
484 BCE – 425 BCE
Greek historian and geographer (c.484–c.425 BC)
Ancient era
Thucydides
c. 460 BCE – 395 BCE
5th-century BC Athenian historian and general
Ancient era
Socrates
470 BCE – 399 BCE
Athenian philosopher whose questioning method founded Western ethics
Ancient era
Plato
427 BCE – 347 BCE
Athenian philosopher, founder of the Academy and author of the Republic
Ancient era
Epicurus
342 BCE – 270 BCE
Ancient Greek philosopher
Ancient era
Zeno of Citium
334 BCE – 263 BCE
Greek philosopher, founder of Stoicism
Ancient era
Pythagoras
c. 550 BCE – c. 490 BCE
Greek mathematician and mystic of number and harmony
Ancient era
Heraclitus
535 BCE – c. 470 BCE
Greek philosopher (late 6th/early 5th-century BC)
Ancient era
Euclid
b. c. 333 BCE
Ancient Greek mathematician (fl. 300 BC)
Ancient era
Hypatia
360 CE – 415 CE
Alexandrian mathematician and philosopher, martyr of ancient learning
Ancient era
Cato the Younger
95 BCE – 46 BCE
Roman statesman, general and writer (95–46 BC)
Ancient era
Claudius
10 BCE – October 13, 1954 CE
Mayor of the Palace of Burgundy from 607 to 610
Ancient era
Marcus Aurelius
April 26, 121 CE – March 17, 180 CE
16th Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 and Stoic philosopher
Ancient era
Justinian I
May 11, 482 CE – November 14, 565 CE
Eastern Roman Emperor who ruled from 527 to 565 (482-565)
Ancient era
Sun Tzu
544 BCE – 496 BCE
6th century BCE Chinese general and military strategist
Ancient era
Mencius
372 BCE – 289 BCE
Chinese Confucian philosopher (372–289 BC)
Ancient era
Cao Cao
155 CE – 220 CE
Chinese warlord and statesman (155–220)
Ancient era
Chanakya
375 BCE – 283 BCE
Ancient Indian teacher and strategist who authored the foundational manual on political economy
Ancient era
Epictetus
50 CE – 138 CE
Greek Stoic philosopher (c. 50–c. 138)
Medieval era
Alfred the Great
849 CE – October 26, 899 CE
King of Wessex (r. 872–901)
Medieval era
Babur
February 14, 1483 – December 26, 1530
Founder of the Mughal Empire (1526–1530)
Early Modern era
James Madison
March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836
President of the United States from 1809 to 1817 (1751–1836)
Modern era
Ulysses S. Grant
April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885
President of the United States from 1869 to 1877
Modern era
Theodore Roosevelt
October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919
26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909 (1858–1919)
Modern era
Eleanor Roosevelt
October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962
American diplomat and activist, First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1884–1962)
Modern era
Dwight D. Eisenhower
October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969
President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 (1890–1969)
Modern era
John F. Kennedy
May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963
President of the United States from 1961 to 1963 (1917–1963)
Modern era
Joe Biden
b. November 20, 1942
46th President of the United States (2021–2025)
Modern era
Queen Victoria
May 24, 1819 – January 22, 1901
Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901 (1819-1901)
Modern era
Benjamin Disraeli
December 21, 1804 – April 19, 1881
British statesman (1804–1881)
Modern era
William Gladstone
December 29, 1809 – May 19, 1898
British Liberal prime minister (1809–1898)
Modern era
Giuseppe Garibaldi
July 4, 1807 – June 2, 1882
Italian general, patriot and republican (1807–1882)
Modern era
Vladimir Lenin
April 10, 1870 – January 21, 1924
Founding leader of the Soviet Union (1870–1924)
Modern era
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
1881 – November 10, 1938
Founding father of the Republic of Turkey (c. 1881–1938)
Modern era
Jawaharlal Nehru
November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964
Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964
Modern era
Subhas Chandra Bose
January 23, 1897 – August 18, 1945
Indian nationalist leader (1897-1945)
Modern era
Indira Gandhi
November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984
Prime Minister of India (1966-1977; 1980-1984)
Modern era
Ho Chi Minh
May 19, 1890 – September 2, 1969
Vietnamese communist leader, founder of North Vietnam (1890–1969)
Contemporary era
Aung San Suu Kyi
b. June 19, 1945
Former State Counsellor of Myanmar and Leader of the National League for Democracy