daily.surf

Historical figures · Puzzle #26 · Sunday, October 25

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

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

  1. Fyodor Dostoevsky

    Novelist of Crime and Punishment

    Photo: Vasily Perov, Public domain

    Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.

  2. Cleopatra

    Last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt

    Photo: Louis le Grand, Public domain

    Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.

  3. Catherine the Great

    Empress who expanded and modernized her empire

    Photo: After Alexander Roslin, Public domain

    Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.

  4. Guglielmo Marconi

    Sent the first radio signals across an ocean

    Photo: Pach Brothers, Public domain

    Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.

  5. Humphrey Bogart

    Star of Casablanca

    Photo: WCCO (AM), a CBS affiliate--the network where the program originated. This local affiliate intended to use the photo in its local ads for the Minneapolis-St. Paul area it serves., Public domain

    On this board Humphrey Bogart scored best in Far from home (9.3): Humphrey Bogart died 2,446 miles from where they were born. Portrait sitter was their weakest fit (0.0): Humphrey Bogart appears in 0 paintings, statues, films and more on Wikidata.

    Ancient history
    was born 127 years ago (6.0) Source: Wikidata Q16390
    Much studied
    is the subject of 2 books, papers and films on Wikidata (0.3) Source: Wikidata Q16390
    Known worldwide
    Wikipedia has an article on them in 118 languages (4.7) Source: Wikidata Q16390
    Far from home
    died 2,446 miles from where they were born (9.3) Source: Wikidata Q16390
    Big family
    had 2 children (2.0) Source: Wikidata Q16390
    Most looked-up
    their Wikipedia article was read 1.39 million times in 2025 (3.5) Source: Wikimedia pageviews, 2025
    Portrait sitter
    appears in 0 paintings, statues, films and more on Wikidata (0.0) Source: Wikidata Q16390
    Decorated
    received 3 awards and honors (1.5) Source: Wikidata Q16390

  6. Johann Sebastian Bach

    Composer of the Brandenburg Concertos

    Photo: Elias Gottlob Haussmann, Public domain

    Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.

  7. Pythagoras

    Namesake of the theorem about right triangles

    Photo: The original uploader was Galilea at German Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0

    Pythagoras was born 2,609 years ago, so their best fit on this board was Ancient history, worth 10.0. Their weakest was Decorated, worth 0.0, since Pythagoras received 0 awards and honors.

    Ancient history
    was born 2,609 years ago (10.0) Source: Wikidata Q10261
    Much studied
    is the subject of 17 books, papers and films on Wikidata (2.1) Source: Wikidata Q10261
    Known worldwide
    Wikipedia has an article on them in 209 languages (8.4) Source: Wikidata Q10261
    Far from home
    died 573 miles from where they were born (7.2) Source: Wikidata Q10261
    Big family
    had 5 children (5.0) Source: Wikidata Q10261
    Most looked-up
    their Wikipedia article was read 688,505 times in 2025 (1.7) Source: Wikimedia pageviews, 2025
    Portrait sitter
    appears in 9 paintings, statues, films and more on Wikidata (1.1) Source: Wikidata Q10261
    Decorated
    received 0 awards and honors (0.0) Source: Wikidata Q10261

  8. Muhammad Ali

    Boxer who could "float like a butterfly"

    Photo: Bernard Gotfryd, Public domain

    Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.

All of puzzle #26 · The archive