Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

About Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last Shah of Iran, reigning from 1941 until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. His historical importance, ranked #878 in the Pantheon project, stems from his pivotal role in modernizing and secularizing Iran, often against powerful internal opposition, and his firm alliance with the United States during the Cold War. His reign marked a period of significant economic growth driven by oil wealth, but also increasing authoritarianism which ultimately fueled the popular uprising against his rule.

In the context of online attention, the data reveals a significant disconnect between his historical weight and 2025 internet engagement. With an HPI rank of #878, he is positioned among a key tier of global influencers, yet he garnered 2.7 million Wikipedia views in 2025. This level of attention places him in a category of 'overattention' relative to his importance, resulting in an Attention Gap factor of +9x. For contrast, a figure ranked significantly higher in historical importance like Pope Adrian VI (#549) received only 150K views, illustrating a stark divergence in modern digital focus.

Interestingly, while he shows overattention currently, the recent trend indicates a slight cooling; his 2025 Momentum, comparing Q1 to Q3, declined by 6%, though the year-over-year change shows a robust +32.5% increase in interest compared to the previous year, suggesting recent external events may still be driving curiosity.