#1Of the 27 famous people born in Olean, an unusual share are writers and artists
The best known is the American actor Jeff Fahey, with articles in 37 languages. Second and third on the list are Louis Zamperini and Larry Trask. 14 of them were born between 1920 and 1969, more than in any other period. Born in 1838, Augustus Barrows is the first name on record, and Bryan Hodgson, born in 1987, the most recent.
What stands out about Olean’s famous people
What Olean is known for
Writers and artists stand out most, at 1.8 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
When Olean’s famous people were born
Count by decade and the 1930s come out on top, with 4 births.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Born in Olean
The three are covered in 37, 29 and 9 languages: Jeff Fahey, Louis Zamperini and Larry Trask.
#1
#2Louis Zamperini
1917–2014Italian-American middle distance runner and World War II veteran
Everyone else born in Olean
Still to come: 24 more, from 1838 to 1987.











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Who’s the most famous person from Olean?
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Famous people from the towns next door
Allegany has the longest list next door: 2.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Olean 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)
- Jeff Fahey: photo taken by flickr user photoren, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Louis Zamperini: Floatjon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bobby Johnston: Jamie Chapman, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James F. Hastings: US Government Printing Office, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward M. Gabriel: USDAgov, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jon Serl: Alexandreggsb, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jordan Rinaldi: Jrr091784, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bryan Hodgson: Keiteay, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brynja McDivitt Booth: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John F. Davidson: U.S. Navy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John W. Holcomb: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- JG Faherty: JG Faherty, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sarah E. Kellogg: California Secretary of State, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Leon Jacob Cole: Artist: Othmar J. Hoffler (1893-1954), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
