Haile Selassie

About Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie I (1892–1975) was the last Emperor of Ethiopia, reigning from 1930 until his overthrow in 1974. His historical significance stems from his steadfast resistance against Italian occupation, famously appealing to the League of Nations in 1936, and his pivotal role as a founding member of the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union). MIT's Pantheon project ranks him #269 in historical importance, reflecting his long tenure and role in modern African politics and decolonization.

Despite this high historical ranking, Selassie's 2025 online attention appears modest relative to his global impact, logging approximately 1.3 million annualized Wikipedia views. When compared to contemporaries like Benjamin Franklin (#339 importance) who garnered 2.7 million views, Selassie's reach is considerably smaller. Conversely, the data indicates a +3x *overattention* compared to his importance ranking, suggesting that while overall traffic is low, his cultural footprint online may be surprisingly robust for a figure from his specific political sphere, though the trend is concerning.

Adding context to this, his viewership saw a year-over-year decline of 17.2% in 2025, and momentum between Q1 and Q3 dropped by 2%, signaling a cooling of immediate digital interest that warrants further tracking against his established historical rank.