SOCIOLOGIST
C. Wright Mills
1916 - 1962
C. Wright Mills
Charles Wright Mills (August 28, 1916 – March 20, 1962) was an American sociologist, and a professor of sociology at Columbia University from 1946 until his death in 1962. Mills published widely in both popular and intellectual journals, and is remembered for several books, such as The Power Elite, White Collar: The American Middle Classes, and The Sociological Imagination. Mills was concerned with the responsibilities of intellectuals in post–World War II society, and he advocated public and political engagement over disinterested observation. One of Mills's biographers, Daniel Geary, writes that Mills's writings had a "particularly significant impact on New Left social movements of the 1960s era." It was Mills who popularized the term New Left in the U.S. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of C. Wright Mills has received more than 1,142,618 page views. His biography is available in 46 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 43 in 2019). C. Wright Mills is the 22nd most popular sociologist (down from 20th in 2019), the 1,164th most popular biography from United States (down from 946th in 2019) and the 4th most popular American Sociologist.
C. Wright Mills is most famous for his book, The Sociological Imagination, which discusses the need for a sociological imagination in order to understand social problems.
Memorability Metrics
1.1M
Page Views (PV)
61.64
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
46
Languages Editions (L)
6.69
Effective Languages (L*)
3.75
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among SOCIOLOGISTS
Among sociologists, C. Wright Mills ranks 22 out of 79. Before him are Karl Mannheim, Manuel Castells, Pitirim Sorokin, Alain Touraine, Peter L. Berger, and Paul Lazarsfeld. After him are Robert Michels, Thomas Luckmann, Daniel Bell, Ziya Gökalp, Saskia Sassen, and Robert E. Park.
Most Popular Sociologists in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsKarl Mannheim
1893 - 1947
HPI: 65.71
Rank: 16
Manuel Castells
1942 - Present
HPI: 64.29
Rank: 17
Pitirim Sorokin
1889 - 1968
HPI: 63.91
Rank: 18
Alain Touraine
1925 - 2023
HPI: 63.04
Rank: 19
Peter L. Berger
1929 - 2017
HPI: 62.28
Rank: 20
Paul Lazarsfeld
1901 - 1976
HPI: 62.28
Rank: 21
C. Wright Mills
1916 - 1962
HPI: 61.64
Rank: 22
Robert Michels
1876 - 1936
HPI: 60.96
Rank: 23
Thomas Luckmann
1927 - 2016
HPI: 60.80
Rank: 24
Daniel Bell
1919 - 2011
HPI: 60.09
Rank: 25
Ziya Gökalp
1876 - 1924
HPI: 59.28
Rank: 26
Saskia Sassen
1947 - Present
HPI: 58.36
Rank: 27
Robert E. Park
1864 - 1944
HPI: 58.04
Rank: 28
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1916, C. Wright Mills ranks 48. Before him are Peter Finch, P. W. Botha, Masaki Kobayashi, Virginia Satir, Emil Gilels, and Robert F. Furchgott. After him are Raf Vallone, Jacque Fresco, Dino Risi, Ephraim Katzir, Alberto Ginastera, and Rafael Caldera. Among people deceased in 1962, C. Wright Mills ranks 34. Before him are Bruno Walter, Joseph Berchtold, Hans Lammers, Ronald Fisher, Ivan Meštrović, and Jacques Ibert. After him are Stuart Sutcliffe, Hanns Eisler, Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Georgios Papanikolaou, Killing of Peter Fechter, and Eiji Yoshikawa.
Others Born in 1916
Go to all RankingsPeter Finch
ACTOR
1916 - 1977
HPI: 62.55
Rank: 42
P. W. Botha
POLITICIAN
1916 - 2006
HPI: 62.30
Rank: 43
Masaki Kobayashi
FILM DIRECTOR
1916 - 1996
HPI: 62.17
Rank: 44
Virginia Satir
WRITER
1916 - 1988
HPI: 62.16
Rank: 45
Emil Gilels
MUSICIAN
1916 - 1985
HPI: 62.12
Rank: 46
Robert F. Furchgott
CHEMIST
1916 - 2009
HPI: 61.94
Rank: 47
C. Wright Mills
SOCIOLOGIST
1916 - 1962
HPI: 61.64
Rank: 48
Raf Vallone
ACTOR
1916 - 2002
HPI: 61.33
Rank: 49
Jacque Fresco
INVENTOR
1916 - 2017
HPI: 61.17
Rank: 50
Dino Risi
FILM DIRECTOR
1916 - 2008
HPI: 60.93
Rank: 51
Ephraim Katzir
POLITICIAN
1916 - 2009
HPI: 60.88
Rank: 52
Alberto Ginastera
COMPOSER
1916 - 1983
HPI: 60.54
Rank: 53
Rafael Caldera
POLITICIAN
1916 - 2009
HPI: 60.42
Rank: 54
Others Deceased in 1962
Go to all RankingsBruno Walter
CONDUCTOR
1876 - 1962
HPI: 62.88
Rank: 28
Joseph Berchtold
POLITICIAN
1897 - 1962
HPI: 62.64
Rank: 29
Hans Lammers
POLITICIAN
1879 - 1962
HPI: 62.37
Rank: 30
Ronald Fisher
STATISTICIAN
1890 - 1962
HPI: 62.10
Rank: 31
Ivan Meštrović
SCULPTOR
1883 - 1962
HPI: 61.99
Rank: 32
Jacques Ibert
COMPOSER
1890 - 1962
HPI: 61.72
Rank: 33
C. Wright Mills
SOCIOLOGIST
1916 - 1962
HPI: 61.64
Rank: 34
Stuart Sutcliffe
MUSICIAN
1940 - 1962
HPI: 61.49
Rank: 35
Hanns Eisler
COMPOSER
1898 - 1962
HPI: 61.22
Rank: 36
Archduke Joseph August of Austria
POLITICIAN
1872 - 1962
HPI: 61.05
Rank: 37
Georgios Papanikolaou
PHYSICIAN
1883 - 1962
HPI: 61.00
Rank: 38
Killing of Peter Fechter
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1944 - 1962
HPI: 60.89
Rank: 39
Eiji Yoshikawa
WRITER
1892 - 1962
HPI: 60.33
Rank: 40
In United States
Among people born in United States, C. Wright Mills ranks 1,164 out of 20,380. Before him are Jennifer Jones (1919), Gina Haspel (1956), Richard Winters (1918), Lloyd Austin (1953), Shia LaBeouf (1986), and Tom Morello (1964). After him are Dennis Rodman (1961), Jerry West (1938), Robert S. Mulliken (1896), Roy O. Disney (1893), Susan Wojcicki (1968), and Jackie Robinson (1919).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsJennifer Jones
ACTOR
1919 - 2009
HPI: 61.67
Rank: 1,158
Gina Haspel
POLITICIAN
1956 - Present
HPI: 61.66
Rank: 1,159
Richard Winters
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1918 - 2011
HPI: 61.66
Rank: 1,160
Lloyd Austin
POLITICIAN
1953 - Present
HPI: 61.65
Rank: 1,161
Shia LaBeouf
ACTOR
1986 - Present
HPI: 61.65
Rank: 1,162
Tom Morello
SINGER
1964 - Present
HPI: 61.64
Rank: 1,163
C. Wright Mills
SOCIOLOGIST
1916 - 1962
HPI: 61.64
Rank: 1,164
Dennis Rodman
BASKETBALL PLAYER
1961 - Present
HPI: 61.63
Rank: 1,165
Jerry West
BASKETBALL PLAYER
1938 - 2024
HPI: 61.62
Rank: 1,166
Robert S. Mulliken
CHEMIST
1896 - 1986
HPI: 61.62
Rank: 1,167
Roy O. Disney
BUSINESSPERSON
1893 - 1971
HPI: 61.61
Rank: 1,168
Susan Wojcicki
POLITICIAN
1968 - 2024
HPI: 61.61
Rank: 1,169
Jackie Robinson
BASEBALL PLAYER
1919 - 1972
HPI: 61.61
Rank: 1,170
Among SOCIOLOGISTS In United States
Among sociologists born in United States, C. Wright Mills ranks 4. Before him are Robert K. Merton (1910), Talcott Parsons (1902), and Immanuel Wallerstein (1930). After him are Daniel Bell (1919), Robert E. Park (1864), Howard S. Becker (1928), Harold Garfinkel (1917), W. I. Thomas (1863), Herbert Blumer (1900), Charles Tilly (1929), and Mark Granovetter (1943).
Robert K. Merton
1910 - 2003
HPI: 72.42
Rank: 1
Talcott Parsons
1902 - 1979
HPI: 70.97
Rank: 2
Immanuel Wallerstein
1930 - 2019
HPI: 66.28
Rank: 3
C. Wright Mills
1916 - 1962
HPI: 61.64
Rank: 4
Daniel Bell
1919 - 2011
HPI: 60.09
Rank: 5
Robert E. Park
1864 - 1944
HPI: 58.04
Rank: 6
Howard S. Becker
1928 - 2023
HPI: 57.99
Rank: 7
Harold Garfinkel
1917 - 2011
HPI: 57.36
Rank: 8
W. I. Thomas
1863 - 1947
HPI: 57.26
Rank: 9
Herbert Blumer
1900 - 1987
HPI: 56.01
Rank: 10
Charles Tilly
1929 - 2008
HPI: 54.99
Rank: 11
Mark Granovetter
1943 - Present
HPI: 54.68
Rank: 12