The twentieth century, 1901–2000
The Hundredof the century
One hundred people whose work in the last century still shapes how we live, heal, build, play and think.
This is not a ranking. Every name was weighed against the same four tests, set out here, and the balance of the final list is shown below as you filter it.
How the hundred were chosen
- Lasting impact
- Work that changed a field, a nation or daily life, and still shapes the world today.
- A verifiable record
- Achievements confirmed by major prizes, records, publications or institutions, not reputation alone.
- Breadth
- Eleven spheres of nine or ten names each, drawn from every inhabited continent.
- The twentieth century
- Defining work done between 1901 and 2000. Figures remembered chiefly for causing harm are excluded.
Exploring the list. Choose a sphere or a region, search by name, country or achievement, and sort by defining year, year of birth or name. Switch to the timeline to see when each defining moment came, open any entry for its full record, and add up to ten people to your own list.