INVENTOR
Cai Lun
48 - 121
Cai Lun
Cai Lun (Chinese: 蔡伦; courtesy name: Jingzhong (敬仲); c. 50–62 – 121 CE), formerly romanized as Ts'ai Lun, was a Chinese eunuch court official of the Eastern Han dynasty. He is traditionally regarded as the inventor of paper and the modern papermaking process. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Cai Lun has received more than 527,576 page views. His biography is available in 65 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 62 in 2019). Cai Lun is the 17th most popular inventor, the 24th most popular biography from China (up from 25th in 2019) and the most popular Chinese Inventor.
Cai Lun is most famous for inventing paper.
Memorability Metrics
530k
Page Views (PV)
74.90
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
65
Languages Editions (L)
12.79
Effective Languages (L*)
2.80
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Page views of Cai Luns by language
Among INVENTORS
Among inventors, Cai Lun ranks 17 out of 354. Before him are Louis Braille, Charles Babbage, Samuel Morse, Rudolf Diesel, Nikolaus Otto, and George Stephenson. After him are Louis Daguerre, Nicéphore Niépce, John Logie Baird, Karl Ferdinand Braun, Samuel Colt, and Charles K. Kao.
Most Popular Inventors in Wikipedia
Go to all Rankings
Louis Braille
1809 - 1852
HPI: 78.84
Rank: 11
Charles Babbage
1791 - 1871
HPI: 77.95
Rank: 12
Samuel Morse
1791 - 1872
HPI: 76.69
Rank: 13
Rudolf Diesel
1858 - 1913
HPI: 76.24
Rank: 14
Nikolaus Otto
1832 - 1891
HPI: 74.92
Rank: 15
George Stephenson
1781 - 1848
HPI: 74.92
Rank: 16
Cai Lun
48 - 121
HPI: 74.90
Rank: 17
Louis Daguerre
1787 - 1851
HPI: 74.64
Rank: 18
Nicéphore Niépce
1765 - 1833
HPI: 73.51
Rank: 19
John Logie Baird
1888 - 1946
HPI: 72.45
Rank: 20
Karl Ferdinand Braun
1850 - 1918
HPI: 72.08
Rank: 21
Samuel Colt
1814 - 1862
HPI: 72.01
Rank: 22
Charles K. Kao
1933 - 2018
HPI: 71.90
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 are Pompeia Plotina, Deng Sui, and Pope Primus of Alexandria.
Others Born in 48
Go to all Rankings
Others Deceased in 121
Go to all RankingsCai Lun
48 - 121
HPI: 74.90
Rank: 1
Pompeia Plotina
65 - 121
HPI: 62.28
Rank: 2
Deng Sui
81 - 121
HPI: 54.00
Rank: 3
Pope Primus of Alexandria
100 - 121
HPI: 44.03
Rank: 4
In China
Among people born in China, Cai Lun ranks 24 out of 1,392. Before him are Du Fu (712), Cao Cao (155), Wu Zetian (624), Qianlong Emperor (1711), Ip Man (1893), and Xuanzang (602). After him are Lü Bu (161), Guan Yu (162), Kangxi Emperor (1654), Liu Bei (161), Yongle Emperor (1360), and Li Ching-Yuen (1677).
Others born in China
Go to all Rankings
Du Fu
712 - 770
HPI: 76.16
Rank: 18
Cao Cao
155 - 220
HPI: 76.13
Rank: 19
Wu Zetian
624 - 705
HPI: 75.86
Rank: 20
Qianlong Emperor
1711 - 1799
HPI: 75.64
Rank: 21
Ip Man
1893 - 1972
HPI: 75.56
Rank: 22
Xuanzang
602 - 664
HPI: 75.05
Rank: 23
Cai Lun
48 - 121
HPI: 74.90
Rank: 24
Lü Bu
161 - 199
HPI: 74.85
Rank: 25
Guan Yu
162 - 220
HPI: 74.64
Rank: 26
Kangxi Emperor
1654 - 1722
HPI: 74.62
Rank: 27
Liu Bei
161 - 223
HPI: 74.52
Rank: 28
Yongle Emperor
1360 - 1424
HPI: 74.32
Rank: 29
Li Ching-Yuen
1677 - 1933
HPI: 74.30
Rank: 30
Among INVENTORS In China
Among inventors born in China, Cai Lun ranks 1. After him are Charles K. Kao (1933), Bi Sheng (990), Taiichi Ohno (1912), Yuan Longping (1930), Thonmi Sambhota (618), An Wang (1920), and Robin Li (1968).
Cai Lun
48 - 121
HPI: 74.90
Rank: 1
Charles K. Kao
1933 - 2018
HPI: 71.90
Rank: 2
Bi Sheng
990 - 1052
HPI: 62.41
Rank: 3
Taiichi Ohno
1912 - 1990
HPI: 61.02
Rank: 4
Yuan Longping
1930 - 2021
HPI: 54.35
Rank: 5
Thonmi Sambhota
618 - Present
HPI: 53.05
Rank: 6
An Wang
1920 - 1990
HPI: 46.78
Rank: 7
Robin Li
1968 - Present
HPI: 43.59
Rank: 8
