Abraham Lincoln

About Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, ranked #206 in historical importance by MIT's Pantheon project, remains a towering figure primarily for his leadership during the American Civil War. Serving as the 16th U.S. President from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, his defining achievements include preserving the Union amidst secession and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, which paved the way for the abolition of slavery. These pivotal actions cemented his legacy as a central figure in the formation and redefinition of the United States.

Despite this profound historical weight, Lincoln's modern digital footprint indicates a notable attention gap. In 2025, his Wikipedia page accumulated 5.4 million views, which results in an "overattention" score of +11x relative to his HPI ranking. This suggests that while the internet is paying him significant attention, it is only commensurate with his established historical importance, unlike some figures who exhibit massive positive gaps. To provide context, current politician Joe Biden (#329 importance) garnered twice as many views (10.6M), while the more historically significant, though ancient, philosopher Plato (#15 importance) only achieved 1.6M views, illustrating a contrast in attention for figures across the importance spectrum.

Year-over-year, Lincoln’s attention is also showing signs of erosion, with Wikipedia views declining by 14.5% from the previous year. Furthermore, the short-term momentum, comparing Q1 to Q3 2025, dropped by 18%, suggesting a general cooling of immediate public interest online.