The NNDB, or the Notable Names Database, tracks connections between significant individuals in the world. It is a variation of a “Who's Who”, providing information such as dates of birth and death (if available) and a basic biography. The NNDB also includes the NNDB Mapper which gives a visual representation of connections between individuals in the NNDB. It is updated frequently, with more notable individuals being added on a daily basis, and past records being updated. Within each biography there is no biased information, only facts. However there is a slight bias on who is declared notable enough to receive a place in the NNDB, as it is left up to Thomas Dell, the site architect and curator.
A search engine at the top of each page makes searching easy. All that is required is the name of the individual you want more information on, and more information is quickly brought up. A search can also be narrowed down by searching for things other than name, including book titles, movie titles, and band names. Instead of using the search function, one can also browse through lists of notable names by the first letter of their last name. As long as some information is known, one should have an easy time finding more information with the NNDB. The main page also includes Dr. Sputnik's Society Page, which provides current news stories about the notable individuals from the NNDB, with more added to this section daily.
With over 40,000 notable names currently included, there are still thousands more significant people who should be included in this database. However, for those who are included, the information is brief but accurate and reliable. On top of the biographical information, each individual also has a bibliography, so all facts on the NNDB can be easily checked.
This is a fun, free website to browse, following connections between individuals. Although I would not use this site to do research, the bibliography that it provides could be a useful starting point to learn more about the notable names included in the NNDB. There are no other free and easy to use resources that do everything the NNDB can: provide bibliographic information, a bibliography, and map connections between individuals. This unique resource should be recommended as a starting resource when researching a notable individual.
