Historical figures · Puzzle #25 · Saturday, October 24

Historical figures: the board

Eight items, eight categories, one place each. Here is the board with every figure and where it comes from, and the best way to place them. Play today's Historical figures.

The categories

Nobel laureate: 10 pts if they won a Nobel Prize
Long life: 1 pt per 5 years lived past 40
Most looked-up: 1 pt per 400,000 Wikipedia views in 2025
Far from home: 1 pt per doubling over 4 miles from birthplace
Much studied: 1 pt per 8 works about them
Big family: 1 pt per child
Portrait sitter: 1 pt per 8 works that depict them
Decorated: 1 pt per 2 awards and honors

The best board

The best board is hidden while some of these items are still in play: they're on a board again within 14 days.

The lineup, figure by figure

William Shakespeare
Playwright of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet
Photo: Attributed to John Taylor, Public domain
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Andrew Carnegie
Steel magnate who funded libraries
Photo: Theodore C. Marceau, Public domain
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Soichiro Honda
Founder of Honda
Photo: 財界研究社、撮影者不明, Public domain
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Christopher Columbus
Sailed west to find Asia, reached the Americas
Photo: Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, Public domain
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Genghis Khan
Founded the Mongol Empire
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
John Lennon
Beatle who wrote Imagine
Photo: Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Ernest Hemingway
Novelist of The Old Man and the Sea
Photo: Lloyd Arnold, Public domain
Ernest Hemingway won a Nobel Prize, so their best fit on this board was Nobel laureate, worth 10.0. Their weakest was Portrait sitter, worth 0.5, since Ernest Hemingway appears in 4 paintings, statues, films and more on Wikidata.
Nobel laureate
won a Nobel Prize (10.0) Source: Wikidata Q23434
Long life
lived to 61 (4.2) Source: Wikidata Q23434
Most looked-up
their Wikipedia article was read 2.34 million times in 2025 (5.9) Source: Wikimedia pageviews, 2025
Far from home
died 1,348 miles from where they were born (8.4) Source: Wikidata Q23434
Much studied
is the subject of 17 books, papers and films on Wikidata (2.1) Source: Wikidata Q23434
Big family
had 3 children (3.0) Source: Wikidata Q23434
Portrait sitter
appears in 4 paintings, statues, films and more on Wikidata (0.5) Source: Wikidata Q23434
Decorated
received 8 awards and honors (4.0) Source: Wikidata Q23434
Elizabeth II
Queen who reigned through 15 prime ministers
Photo: Donald McKague, Public domain
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.