Charles de Gaulle

About Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) was a towering figure in 20th-century French and global history, recognized by his high HPI Rank of #278. As a military personnel and statesman, his defining contribution was leading the Free French Forces during World War II against the German occupation, ultimately ensuring France's place among the victors and later serving as the first President of the French Fifth Republic. His insistence on French sovereignty and leadership shaped the post-war European order and decolonization efforts.

Despite this immense historical weight, de Gaulle garners 1.5 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This level of attention places him in an 'overattention' bracket, indicated by an Attention Gap of +3x relative to his historical importance, suggesting modern internet users are engaging with him more than his relative historical placement might predict. For context, he receives significantly less attention than figures like David Lynch (6.8M views) or Bob Dylan (12.0M views), though he remains more viewed than highly-ranked figures like James Watt (#174, 328K views).

His attention appears to be slightly waning, with a -6.7% year-over-year decrease in views and a -7% drop between Q1 and Q3 of 2025, indicating that even for figures ranked highly in history, maintaining visibility in the modern digital landscape is a continuous challenge.