The Notable Names Database (NNDB) is an online database of biographical details of over 40,000 people. Soylent Communications, a sole proprietorship that also hosted the later defunct Rotten.com,[1] describes NNDB as an "intelligence aggregator" of noteworthy persons, highlighting their interpersonal connections.[2] The Rotten.com domain was registered in 1996 by former Apple and Netscape software engineer Thomas E. Dell, who was also known by his internet alias, "Soylent".[3]
Each entry has an executive summary followed by a brief narrative about their life.[4] It also lists date and cause of death if deceased. Businesspeople and government officials are listed with chronologies of their posts, positions, and board memberships.[4]
As of 2022, the site is no longer updated.
The NNDB Mapper, a visual tool for exploring connections between people, was made available in May 2008. It required Adobe Flash 7.[5]
