The most famous people from the Scottish Borders have been revealed, according to a new interactive map.
Mapbox researcher and geographer Topi Tjukanov developed the insightful map which reveals the birthplaces of the most 'notable people' around the world.
The data is based on a study published in June this year from researchers from the University of Paris.
A person's significance was calculated based on information scraped from Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Did you know Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar and Barack Obama in Honolulu? Who is the most famous person from your home town?
— Topi Tjukanov (@tjukanov) July 28, 2022
I made a map of the most notable people around the world. Built with @Mapbox.
Check it out here: https://t.co/NR0J7nqTn1
🧵 pic.twitter.com/GoI4VnGzvd
The data accounts for a series of factors including the number of Wikipedia entries, their average length, the average number of views from 2015-18 as well as the total number of external links.
"The data contains a rank value and a notability "sum value" these are used to determine which names are shown and how big they are," Mr Tjukanov explained to users on Twitter.
You can explore the map and view the noteworthy people from hometowns all over the world in four different categories:
- Culture
- Discovery & Science
- Leadership
- Sports & Games
Who are the most famous people from the Scottish Borders?
The interactive map revealed some of the biggest names to come out of the Borders.
The most notable person from Galashiels was the doctor Archie Cochrane.
Cochrane is best known for his book Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services which led to the creation of the Cochrane Library, Oxford's UK Cochrane Centre and the international organisation Cochrane.
Other recognisable names that made a splash on the map include Kelso's own Henry James Summer Maine (1822-1888) who was a jurist and historian that is considered one of the forefathers of modern legal history and legal anthropology.
The Peebles publisher Robert Chambers (1802-1871) also got a mention and even Royalty made the rankings with Alexander III of Scotland ( 1241-1286) being born in Roxburgh.
Beyond Glasgow, legendary actor Sean Connery has been deemed the most notable name from Edinburgh and comic Charlie Chaplin is considered the most significant person from the UK's capital.
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