#1Writing & Arts
David Foster Wallace
1962–2008American fiction writer and essayist
56 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Ithaca
Scientists and doctors stand out among the 45 famous people born in Ithaca
Most widely known is David Foster Wallace, the American fiction writer and essayist, with articles in 56 languages. Alex Haley and Susan Kare follow. 24 of them were born between 1920 and 1969, more than in any other period. Fewer than a quarter of the 1,258 towns in New York with famous people list more.
Born here
45
notable people
Best known
David Foster Wallace
in 56 Wikipedia languages
First
1840
Eugene Schuyler
Youngest
2002
Jennifer Yu
Most common field
Sports
13 people
Also called it home
10
notable residents
What stands out about Ithaca’s famous people
A town of scientists and doctors12 of the 45 people born here are scientists and doctors, 4.5× the usual share.Known worldwideDavid Foster Wallace has a Wikipedia article in 56 languages.Still making namesBirths since 1950 number 25, the most recent in 2002.A chosen home10 more notable people chose to live in Ithaca, including Vladimir Nabokov.
★ What stands out · Known for
What Ithaca is known for
Set against the usual town, scientists and doctors come out 4.5 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Ithaca
Writers and artists take two of the three places.
#1
#2Film, TV & Stage
Alex Haley
1921–1992American biographer, screenwriter, and novelist
49 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Writing & Arts
Susan Kare
born 1954American artist and graphic designer
31 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Ithaca’s famous people were born
The 1960s saw the most births of any decade: 6.
SportsScience & MedicineWriting & ArtsFilm, TV & StageMusicPolitics & LawFaith
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Ithaca
Of the other 42, 13 are athletes.
Allison Burnett
born 1958American screenwriter, director, producer and novelist
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Ithaca home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Ithaca, though born elsewhere.
Vladimir Nabokov
1899–1977Russian-American novelist, lepidopterist, professor
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Roald Hoffmann
born 1937Polish-American Nobel laureate chemist and playwright
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Thomas Sowell
born 1930American economist, social theorist, political philosopher and author
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Ralph Hosmer
1874–1963Hawaii's first territorial forester; head of the Department of Forestry at Cornell University
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick
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From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Ithaca 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 (14)
- David Foster Wallace: Steve Rhodes, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alex Haley: University of Texas at Arlington Photograph Collection, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Susan Kare: Cooper Hewitt, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Margaret Geller: ServiceAT, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kyle Dake: National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dustin Brown: JulieAndSteve, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Caryn Davies: DRPeterJDavies, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eugene Schuyler: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Louis Agassiz Fuertes: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tim Sale: Rootology, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Vladimir Nabokov: Walter Mori (Mondadori Publishers), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Roald Hoffmann: . The original uploader was Xtreambar at English Wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Sowell: Internet Archive Book Images, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jon Kleinberg: Gert-Martin Greuel, Copyright is MFO, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, Wikimedia Commons