This is a list of famous people who were born in Manchester or people who lived a significant part of their life in the great city.

Manchester is the UK’s 6th largest city. The Roman fort Mamucium was founded in about 69AD, and for many centuries remained a relatively small town. However, in the nineteenth century, it grew at a rapid rate due to the Industrial Revolution and improved transport links, such as the Manchester canal and the Liverpool Manchester railway. Manchester became a key centre of manufacturing – especially cotton and textiles. During the Victorian era Manchester was known as “Cottonopolis.” The intensity of industrial production and widespread poverty of the working poor also made Manchester a key location for left-wing political activism.

In the twentieth century, the city diversified becoming an important centre of science, retail, financial services and leisure. Its two football clubs – Manchester United and Manchester City are amongst the wealthiest and most successful clubs in the world.

Sir Richard Arkwright (1732–1792) English entrepreneur and ‘father of the industrial revolution.’ Arkwright was a leading pioneer in the spinning industry. He invented the spinning frame and was successful in using this in mass-scale factory production.

John Dalton (1766 – 1844) English chemist and physicist. Dalton is credited with introducing atomic theory into chemistry. Dalton published a forerunner to the modern Periodic table of elements. He listed elements with their atomic weight and his understanding of how substances combined led him to the theory of the law of multiple proportions. He also worked on the constitution of mixed gases, leading to ‘Dalton’s Law’.

Robert Owen (1771 – 1858) – Welsh social reformer who attempted to build a utopian socialist and co-operative movement.

George Stephenson (1781 – 1848) Mechanical engineer, who developed the steam engine for use in trains. He was a key figure in building the 25 mile Stockton and Darlington railway. Stephenson also built the first intercity railway between Liverpool and Manchester – ushering in the ‘railway age’.

Sir Robert Peel (1788 – 2 July 1850) Born in Bury, Greater Manchester, Peel was British Prime Minster (1834–35 and 1841–46) He was a liberalising figure in the Nineteenth Century overturning discrimination against Catholics, abolishing corn laws and transforming the old Tory party into the modern Conservative party. He also served as Home Secretary and was the founding figure behind the modern police force and the first policemen known as ‘Bobbies’ or ‘Peelers’

Frederich Engels (1818–1883) Engels was a great supporter and collaborator with Karl Marx. He helped write and publish The Communist Manifesto. His own work Conditions of the Working Classes was a landmark study into the industrial proletariat.

J. J. Thompson (1856 – 1940) English physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is credited with the discovery and identification of the electron, the first subatomic particle to be discovered. Thompson discovered the electron by investigating the properties of cathode rays Thompson was a gifted teacher whose pupils included Ernest Rutherford and research assistants, such as Niels Bohr, Max Born,  and William Henry Bragg.

Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) A British suffragette, Emily Pankhurst dedicated her life to the promotion of women’s rights. She explored all avenues of protest including violence, public demonstrations and hunger strikes. She died in 1928, 3 weeks before a law giving all women over 21 the right to vote.

David Lloyd George (1863 – 1945) Prime Minister of the UK from 1916 to the end of war. Played a key role in organising the British war effort. He created a war cabinet of five key people, which he hoped would prevent the mistakes of the first two years.

Ernest Rutherford (1871 – 1937) New Zealand-born British physicist / Chemist. In 1908, Rutherford was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in radioactivity and the disintegration of elements. In 1917, credited with being the first person to split the atom, discovering the proton.

Marie Stopes (1880-1958) Marie Stopes was a pioneering activist for promoting contraception and family planning at a time when most women could not gain access to either. Her book Married Love (1918) also called for greater equality between men and women in marriage

Alan Turing (1912 – 1954) – Computer scientist and code breaker. Turing had one of the greatest minds of the Twentieth Century. He helped crack the German Enigma code and became a leading developer in the emerging world of computer science.

Anthony Burgess (1917 – 1993) English writer and composer who is best-known for his dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange. He was born in Harpurhey, a suburb of Manchester, and studied at Victoria University of Manchester.

Les Dawson ( 1934 – 1993) British comedian and tv presenter. He was born in Collyhurst, Manchester, and briefly worked at the Manchester Co-op and a journalist for the Bury Times. He was best known for his deadpan wit on the BBC quiz show – Blankety Blank.

George Best (1946 – 2005 ) (Northern Ireland, football) Mercurial genius considered one of greatest natural talents. Played for Manchester United 1963-74.

Caroline Aherne (1963 – 1016) English comedian and comedy writer. She wrote and starred in her own productions – notably the chat-show Mrs Merton (where she was disguised as old but acerbic host), The Royle Family and The Fast Show.

Noel Gallagher (1967 – ) Co-founder of the hit British pop group Oasis. He was brought up in Burnage, Manchester. Noel was often viewed as the figurehead of the “BritPop” movement, which was influential in the music world in the 1990s. Frequently had publicised rows with his brother.

Liam Gallagher (1972- ) is an English singer and songwriter. With his brother Noel he founded the rock band Oasis, and was the lead singer. Since the break-up of Oasis he has gone on to a successful solo career.

David Beckham (1975 – ) (England, football) Won league title in four different countries. 115 appearances for England.

Wayne Rooney (1985 – ) (England, football) Represented England over 100 times. With Manchester United has won Premier League five times and European Championship once.