#1Writing & Arts
Langston Hughes
1901–1967American writer and social activist
87 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Joplin
Langston Hughes and 36 more famous people were born in Joplin
Langston Hughes, the American writer and social activist, has articles in 87 languages. Second place goes to the American actor Robert Cummings, third to Dennis Weaver. 18 of them were born between 1920 and 1969, more than in any other period. With 4 musicians, the list holds 2 times the share found across U.S. towns.
Born here
37
notable people
Best known
Langston Hughes
in 87 Wikipedia languages
First
1892
Jane Grant
Youngest
1988
Asia'h Epperson
Most common field
Sports
10 people
What stands out about Joplin’s famous people
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Joplin
First, Langston Hughes (87 languages), then Robert Cummings (36) and Dennis Weaver (33).
#1
#2
#3Known for
What Joplin is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is musicians, at 2 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Through the years
When Joplin’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1940s than in any other decade: 7.
SportsWriting & ArtsFilm, TV & StagePolitics & LawMusicMilitaryScience & MedicineNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Joplin
34 more, 10 of them athletes.
Ann Kelley
US Republican Party politician, from 2019 member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 127th district
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Perry Watkins
1948–1996American soldier known for challenging the military's ban on homosexual service members
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
The town’s pick
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
The neighbour with the most names is Webb City, at 9.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Joplin and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (12)
- Langston Hughes: Carl Van Vechten, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Cummings: Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dennis Weaver: NBC Television, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Pauline Starke: Bain News Service, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hale Irwin: Ted Van Pelt from Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jamie McMurray: Zach Catanzareti, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Beal: Givememoney17 at en.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles McPherson: Ed Newman, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mel Purcell: ServAce85 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jane Grant: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Jewsbury: Ray Terrill, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kermit Beahan: U.S. Federal Government, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons