INVENTOR
Cai Lun
48 - 121
Cai Lun
Cai Lun (Chinese: 蔡伦; courtesy name: Jingzhong (Chinese: 敬仲); c. 50–62 – 121 CE), formerly romanized as Ts'ai Lun, was a Chinese inventor and eunuch court official of the Eastern Han dynasty. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the modern papermaking process, as he originated paper in its modern form. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Cai Lun has received more than 323,974 page views. His biography is available in 62 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 59 in 2019). Cai Lun is the 17th most popular inventor (up from 19th in 2019), the 25th most popular biography from China (up from 41st in 2019) and the most popular Chinese Inventor.
Cai Lun is most famous for inventing paper.
Memorability Metrics
320k
Page Views (PV)
80.82
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
62
Languages Editions (L)
13.34
Effective Languages (L*)
2.64
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Page views of Cai Luns by language
Among INVENTORS
Among inventors, Cai Lun ranks 17 out of 355. Before him are Louis Braille, Charles Babbage, Louis Daguerre, George Stephenson, Samuel Morse, and Nikolaus Otto. After him are Nicéphore Niépce, Samuel Colt, Thomas Newcomen, Werner von Siemens, Antonio Meucci, and Karl Ferdinand Braun.
Most Popular Inventors in Wikipedia
Go to all Rankings
Louis Braille
1809 - 1852
HPI: 82.29
Rank: 11
Charles Babbage
1791 - 1871
HPI: 81.81
Rank: 12
Louis Daguerre
1787 - 1851
HPI: 81.74
Rank: 13
George Stephenson
1781 - 1848
HPI: 81.49
Rank: 14
Samuel Morse
1791 - 1872
HPI: 81.45
Rank: 15
Nikolaus Otto
1832 - 1891
HPI: 81.22
Rank: 16
Cai Lun
48 - 121
HPI: 80.82
Rank: 17
Nicéphore Niépce
1765 - 1833
HPI: 80.28
Rank: 18
Samuel Colt
1814 - 1862
HPI: 79.10
Rank: 19
Thomas Newcomen
1663 - 1729
HPI: 78.76
Rank: 20
Werner von Siemens
1816 - 1892
HPI: 78.46
Rank: 21
Antonio Meucci
1808 - 1889
HPI: 78.43
Rank: 22
Karl Ferdinand Braun
1850 - 1918
HPI: 78.30
Rank: 23
Contemporaries
Among people born in 48, Cai Lun ranks 1. After him is Ulpia Marciana. Among people deceased in 121, Cai Lun ranks 1. After him is Pompeia Plotina.
Others Born in 48
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Others Deceased in 121
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In China
Among people born in China, Cai Lun ranks 25 out of 1,186. Before him are Xi Jinping (1953), Hu Jintao (1942), Kangxi Emperor (1654), Qianlong Emperor (1711), Mencius (-372), and Xuanzang (602). After him are Zhuge Liang (181), Liu Bei (161), Guan Yu (162), Du Fu (712), Zhuang Zhou (-369), and Hongwu Emperor (1328).
Others born in China
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Xi Jinping
1953 - Present
HPI: 81.64
Rank: 19
Hu Jintao
1942 - Present
HPI: 81.41
Rank: 20
Kangxi Emperor
1654 - 1722
HPI: 81.25
Rank: 21
Qianlong Emperor
1711 - 1799
HPI: 81.22
Rank: 22
Mencius
372 BC - 289 BC
HPI: 80.97
Rank: 23
Xuanzang
602 - 664
HPI: 80.91
Rank: 24
Cai Lun
48 - 121
HPI: 80.82
Rank: 25
Zhuge Liang
181 - 234
HPI: 80.75
Rank: 26
Liu Bei
161 - 223
HPI: 80.74
Rank: 27
Guan Yu
162 - 220
HPI: 80.69
Rank: 28
Du Fu
712 - 770
HPI: 80.25
Rank: 29
Zhuang Zhou
369 BC - 286 BC
HPI: 80.13
Rank: 30
Hongwu Emperor
1328 - 1398
HPI: 80.07
Rank: 31
Among INVENTORS In China
Among inventors born in China, Cai Lun ranks 1. After him are Bi Sheng (990), Charles K. Kao (1933), Taiichi Ohno (1912), Thonmi Sambhota (618), An Wang (1920), and Robin Li (1968).
Cai Lun
48 - 121
HPI: 80.82
Rank: 1
Bi Sheng
990 - 1052
HPI: 71.06
Rank: 2
Charles K. Kao
1933 - 2018
HPI: 70.91
Rank: 3
Taiichi Ohno
1912 - 1990
HPI: 69.96
Rank: 4
Thonmi Sambhota
618 - Present
HPI: 62.59
Rank: 5
An Wang
1920 - 1990
HPI: 59.20
Rank: 6
Robin Li
1968 - Present
HPI: 56.87
Rank: 7
