#1Science & Medicine
Howard Gardner
born 1943American developmental psychologist & academic
54 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Scranton
Ministers and preachers stand out among the 39 famous people born in Scranton
Most widely known is Howard Gardner, the American developmental psychologist & academic, with articles in 54 languages. Second and third on the list are Jane Jacobs and Lizabeth Scott. More than half were born between 1920 and 1969, 24 in all. Stephen Karam, born in 1980, is the youngest, and Gerald Patrick O'Hara, born in 1895, the first on record.
Born here
39
notable people
Best known
Howard Gardner
in 54 Wikipedia languages
First
1895
Gerald Patrick O'Hara
Youngest
1980
Stephen Karam
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
11 people
Also called it home
1
notable residents
What stands out about Scranton’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Scranton is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as ministers and preachers, at 10.7 times.
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 Scranton
Ranked by languages covered: Howard Gardner with 54, then Jane Jacobs with 38 and Lizabeth Scott with 37.
#1
#2Writing & Arts
Jane Jacobs
1916–2006American–Canadian journalist, author, and activist
38 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Through the years
When Scranton’s famous people were born
The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 8 births.
Film, TV & StageWriting & ArtsFaithSportsScience & MedicinePolitics & LawMusic
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Scranton
Still to come: 36 more, from 1895 to 1980.
Sonny Burke
1914–1980American musical arranger, composer, big band leader and producer
MusicWikipedia ↗
William Kotzwinkle
born 1938American novelist, short story writer, children's writer, screenwriter
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
John Dougherty
1932–2022Roman Catholic clergyman, Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA from 1995 to 2009
FaithWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Scranton home
One more notable person made the town home: W. S. Merwin.
The town’s pick
Town Square →Who’s the most famous person from Scranton?
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns nearby, Dunmore lists the most people: 11.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Scranton 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 (9)
- Howard Gardner: Interaction-Design.org, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jane Jacobs: Phil Stanziola, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lizabeth Scott: Robert Coburn, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Reich: United States Department of Labor, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mike J. Dunleavy: State of Alaska, Office of the Governor, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Casey: United States Congress, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lauren Weisberger: Tzafrir, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- W. S. Merwin: Bernard Tardien, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hannah Williams: Georg Pahl, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wikimedia Commons