Arnold Palmer vs Chinua Achebe
Two child prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Arnold Palmer | Chinua Achebe | |
| Field | Sports | Literature |
| Sub-field | Golf | Novelist |
| Born | 1929 | 1930 |
| Died | 2016 | 2013 |
| Country of birth | United States | Colonial Nigeria |
| Star sign | Virgo | Scorpio |
Who they are
Arnold Palmer
7 Major Championships — The King of Golf Arnie's Army · 62 PGA Tour victories · Made golf must-see television Born September 10, 1929 · Latrobe, Pennsylvania · Died September 25, 2016
Full biography of Arnold Palmer →
Chinua Achebe
Father of African Literature · Author of Things Fall Apart 20 million copies sold · 57 languages translated · Most widely read African novel in history Born November 16, 1930 · Ogidi, Nigeria · Died March 21, 2013
Full biography of Chinua Achebe →
What they share
- Near contemporaries - 1 years apart.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Different fields: Sports for Arnold Palmer, Literature for Chinua Achebe.
- Born in different countries: United States and Colonial Nigeria.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Arnold Palmer or Chinua Achebe?
- Arnold Palmer. Arnold Palmer was born in 1929, Chinua Achebe in 1930.
- What field is each of them in?
- Arnold Palmer is filed under Sports (Golf). Chinua Achebe is filed under Literature (Novelist).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.

