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Europe in the Modern Era historical figures

Explore historical figures who lived in Europe in the Modern Era. Read concise biographies, learn key facts, and play a quiz focused on this collection.

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121 figures

Portrait of Marie Curie

Marie Curie

Poland · 1867–1934

Physicist & chemist

Portrait of Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

United Kingdom · 1874–1965

Statesman & Prime Minister

Portrait of Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein

Germany · 1879–1955

Theoretical physicist

Portrait of Vladimir Lenin in 1920

Vladimir Lenin

Russia · 1870–1924

Revolutionary & head of government

Official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II

United Kingdom · 1926–2022

Queen of the United Kingdom

Photographic portrait of Emperor Nicholas II

Nicholas II

Russia · 1868–1918

Emperor of Russia

Seated portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst

Emmeline Pankhurst

United Kingdom · 1858–1928

Suffragette leader

Portrait of Yuri Gagarin wearing his awards

Yuri Gagarin

Russia · 1934–1968

Cosmonaut

Press photograph of John Lennon from 1974

John Lennon

United Kingdom · 1940–1980

Musician & songwriter

Photograph of tennis player Roger Federer

Roger Federer

Switzerland · born 1981

Tennis player

Portrait photograph of Francisco Franco

Francisco Franco

Spain · 1892–1975

Dictator of Spain

Photograph of Joseph Stalin from 1943

Joseph Stalin

Russia · 1878–1953

Dictator of the Soviet Union

Portrait photograph of Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini

Italy · 1883–1945

Dictator of Italy

Portrait photograph of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Germany · 1889–1945

Dictator of Nazi Germany

Portrait photograph of Alan Turing

Alan Turing

United Kingdom · 1912–1954

Mathematician & computer scientist

Photograph of physicist Niels Bohr

Niels Bohr

Denmark · 1885–1962

Physicist

Photograph of Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell

United Kingdom · 1847–1922

Inventor & engineer

Photograph of Nikola Tesla circa 1890

Nikola Tesla

Serbia · 1856–1943

Engineer & inventor

Photograph of physicist Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking

United Kingdom · 1942–2018

Theoretical physicist & cosmologist

Photograph of painter Claude Monet

Claude Monet

France · 1840–1926

Painter

Self-portrait of Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh

Netherlands · 1853–1890

Painter

Photograph of Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso

Spain · 1881–1973

Painter & sculptor

Photograph of Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dalí

Spain · 1904–1989

Surrealist artist

Photograph of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche

Germany · 1844–1900

Philosopher & writer

Portrait of Michael Collins

Michael Collins

Ireland · 1890–1922

Revolutionary & statesman

Portrait of Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir

France · 1908–1986

Philosopher and writer

Photograph of Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall

United Kingdom · 1934–2025

Primatologist

Portrait of Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin

United Kingdom · 1920–1958

X-ray crystallographer

Photograph of Édith Piaf

Édith Piaf

France · 1915–1963

Singer

Photograph of Freddie Mercury performing

Freddie Mercury

United Kingdom · 1946–1991

Singer and songwriter

Photograph of Nadia Comăneci

Nadia Comăneci

Romania · born 1961

Gymnast

Photograph of Emil Zátopek

Emil Zátopek

Czech Republic · 1922–2000

Long-distance runner

Photograph of Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker

France · 1906–1975

Entertainer and French Resistance member

Photograph of David Bowie

David Bowie

United Kingdom · 1947–2016

Musician and actor

Portrait of Guglielmo Marconi

Guglielmo Marconi

Italy · 1874–1937

Inventor and electrical engineer

Photograph of Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee

United Kingdom · born 1955

Computer scientist

Portrait of Tomáš Masaryk

Tomáš Masaryk

Czech Republic · 1850–1937

Founding President of Czechoslovakia

Portrait of Václav Havel

Václav Havel

Czech Republic · 1936–2011

Playwright and statesman

Photograph of Lech Wałęsa

Lech Wałęsa

Poland · born 1943

President of Poland

Portrait of King Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II of Belgium

Belgium · 1835–1909

King of the Belgians

Portrait of Enrico Fermi

Enrico Fermi

Italy · 1901–1954

Physicist

Portrait of Max Planck

Max Planck

Germany · 1858–1947

Theoretical physicist

Portrait of Werner Heisenberg

Werner Heisenberg

Germany · 1901–1976

Theoretical physicist

Photograph of Wolfgang Pauli

Wolfgang Pauli

Austria · 1900–1958

Theoretical physicist

Photograph of Erwin Schrödinger

Erwin Schrödinger

Austria · 1887–1961

Theoretical physicist

Photograph of Maria Callas

Maria Callas

Greece · 1923–1977

Opera singer

Photograph of Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev

Russia · 1938–1993

Ballet dancer and choreographer

Photograph of Anna Pavlova as the Dying Swan

Anna Pavlova

Russia · 1881–1931

Ballet dancer

Photograph of Andrés Segovia

Andrés Segovia

Spain · 1893–1987

Classical guitarist

Portrait of Antanas Smetona

Antanas Smetona

Lithuania · 1874–1944

President of Lithuania

Portrait of Konstantin Päts

Konstantin Päts

Estonia · 1874–1956

President of Estonia

Portrait of Kārlis Ulmanis

Kārlis Ulmanis

Latvia · 1877–1942

Prime Minister of Latvia

Photograph of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim

Finland · 1867–1951

Military leader and President of Finland

Photograph of Urho Kekkonen

Urho Kekkonen

Finland · 1900–1986

President of Finland

Photograph of Olof Palme

Olof Palme

Sweden · 1927–1986

Prime Minister of Sweden

Photograph of Dag Hammarskjöld

Dag Hammarskjöld

Sweden · 1905–1961

United Nations Secretary-General

Photograph of Fridtjof Nansen

Fridtjof Nansen

Norway · 1861–1930

Explorer and humanitarian

Photograph of Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen

Norway · 1872–1928

Polar explorer

Photograph of Thor Heyerdahl

Thor Heyerdahl

Norway · 1914–2002

Explorer and ethnographer

Portrait of Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud

Austria · 1856–1939

Founder of psychoanalysis

Portrait of Carl Jung

Carl Jung

Switzerland · 1875–1961

Founder of analytical psychology

Photograph of George Best

George Best

United Kingdom · 1946–2005

Footballer

Photograph of Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff

Netherlands · 1947–2016

Footballer and manager

Portrait of Aristide Briand

Aristide Briand

France · 1862–1932

Statesman

Photograph of Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel

France · 1883–1971

Fashion designer

Photograph of Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier

France · 1887–1965

Architect and urban planner

Photograph of Antoni Gaudí

Antoni Gaudí

Spain · 1852–1926

Architect

Photograph of Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid

United Kingdom · 1950–2016

Architect

Photograph of Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde

Ireland · 1854–1900

Writer and playwright

Photograph of Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf

United Kingdom · 1882–1941

Writer

Photograph of General Andranik

Andranik

Armenia · 1865–1927

Military commander

Photograph of Garegin Nzhdeh

Garegin Nzhdeh

Armenia · 1886–1955

Military commander and statesman

Photograph of Levon Ter-Petrosyan

Levon Ter-Petrosyan

Armenia · born 1945

President of Armenia

Portrait of Ilia Chavchavadze

Ilia Chavchavadze

Georgia · 1837–1907

Writer and nationalist leader

Photograph of Eduard Shevardnadze

Eduard Shevardnadze

Georgia · 1928–2014

Statesman and diplomat

Photograph of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria

Boris III of Bulgaria

Bulgaria · 1894–1943

Tsar of Bulgaria

Photograph of Vasil Levski

Vasil Levski

Bulgaria · 1837–1873

Revolutionary

Portrait of Georgi Dimitrov

Georgi Dimitrov

Bulgaria · 1882–1949

Leader of Bulgaria

Photograph of Todor Zhivkov

Todor Zhivkov

Bulgaria · 1911–1998

Leader of Bulgaria

Photograph of Simeon II

Simeon II

Bulgaria · born 1937

Tsar and Prime Minister of Bulgaria

Portrait of Enver Hoxha

Enver Hoxha

Albania · 1908–1985

Leader of Albania

Portrait of Ismail Qemali

Ismail Qemali

Albania · 1844–1919

Founder of modern Albania

Portrait of King Zog I of Albania

Zog I

Albania · 1895–1961

King of Albania

Portrait of Josip Broz Tito

Josip Broz Tito

Serbia · 1892–1980

Leader of Yugoslavia

Portrait of Nikola Pašić

Nikola Pašić

Serbia · 1845–1926

Statesman

Portrait of Slobodan Milošević

Slobodan Milošević

Serbia · 1941–2006

President of Serbia and Yugoslavia

Photograph of Alija Izetbegović

Alija Izetbegović

Bosnia and Herzegovina · 1925–2003

President of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Photograph of Franjo Tuđman

Franjo Tuđman

Croatia · 1922–1999

President of Croatia

Photograph of Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Hodgkin

United Kingdom · 1910–1994

Chemist

Photograph of Emmy Noether

Emmy Noether

Germany · 1882–1935

Mathematician

Photograph of Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr

Austria · 1914–2000

Actress and inventor

Photograph of Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner

Austria · 1878–1968

Nuclear physicist

Photograph of Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal · born 1985

Footballer

Photograph of Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane

France · born 1972

Footballer and manager

Photograph of David Beckham

David Beckham

United Kingdom · born 1975

Footballer

Passport photograph of Anne Frank

Anne Frank

Netherlands · 1929–1945

Diarist and Holocaust victim

Photograph of Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler

Germany · 1908–1974

Industrialist and humanitarian

Photograph of Raoul Wallenberg

Raoul Wallenberg

Sweden · 1912–disappeared 1945

Diplomat and humanitarian

Photograph of Simon Wiesenthal

Simon Wiesenthal

Austria · 1908–2005

Nazi hunter

Photograph of Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel

Romania · 1928–2016

Writer and Holocaust survivor

Portrait of Primo Levi

Primo Levi

Italy · 1919–1987

Writer and Holocaust survivor

Photograph of Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl

Austria · 1905–1997

Neurologist and psychiatrist

Photograph of Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom

Netherlands · 1892–1983

Resistance member and writer

Photograph of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Germany · 1906–1945

Theologian and anti-Nazi dissident

Photograph of Sophie Scholl

Sophie Scholl

Germany · 1921–1943

Anti-Nazi student activist

Photograph of Claus von Stauffenberg

Claus von Stauffenberg

Germany · 1907–1944

Army officer

Photograph of Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

United Kingdom · 1943–

Astrophysicist

Photograph of Valentina Tereshkova

Valentina Tereshkova

Russia · 1937–

Cosmonaut

Photograph of Svetlana Savitskaya

Svetlana Savitskaya

Russia · 1948–

Cosmonaut & aviator

Photograph of Vigdis Finnbogadottir

Vigdis Finnbogadottir

Iceland · 1930–

President of Iceland

Photograph of Milan Rastislav Stefanik

Milan Rastislav Stefanik

Slovakia · 1880–1919

Slovak politician, aviator & astronomer

Photograph of Alexander Dubcek

Alexander Dubcek

Slovakia · 1921–1992

Leader of Czechoslovakia

Photograph of Stanislau Shushkevich

Stanislau Shushkevich

Belarus · 1934–2022

First head of state of independent Belarus

Photograph of Kiro Gligorov

Kiro Gligorov

North Macedonia · 1917–2012

First President of independent Macedonia

Photograph of Milo Djukanovic

Milo Djukanovic

Montenegro · 1962–

President & Prime Minister of Montenegro

Photograph of Milan Kucan

Milan Kucan

Slovenia · 1941–

First President of independent Slovenia

Photograph of Dom Mintoff

Dom Mintoff

Malta · 1916–2012

Prime Minister of Malta

Photograph of Archbishop Makarios III

Makarios III

Cyprus · 1913–1977

Archbishop & first President of Cyprus

Photograph of Robert Schuman

Robert Schuman

France · 1886–1963

French statesman & founder of European integration

Photograph of Konrad Adenauer

Konrad Adenauer

Germany · 1876–1967

First Chancellor of West Germany

Photograph of Willy Brandt

Willy Brandt

Germany · 1913–1992

Chancellor of West Germany