Tutorial: Historical Figures

Education

Data source: Curated dataset (Wikipedia, academic sources)

Overview

Historical Figures wraps Curated dataset (Wikipedia, academic sources), handling authentication, pagination, and rate limits for you. This tutorial covers all 6 tools with working code examples you can copy and run.

Prerequisites

Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup for a free API key (100 calls/day).
Choose your integration method: MCP protocol or REST API.

Connect via MCP

Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

MCP Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gnist-historical-figures": {
      "url": "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/",
      "headers": {
        "Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools (6)

`get_historical_figure`

Get detailed information about a historical figure by ID. Returns biographical data including birth/death years, nationality, field, era, and description.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`figure_id`	string	required	Slug ID of the historical figure (e.g. 'julius-caesar', 'albert-einstein').

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "get_historical_figure", "arguments": {"figure_id": "'julius-caesar'"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'figure_id': "'julius-caesar'"},
            'name': 'get_historical_figure'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`search_historical_figures`

Search historical figures by keyword. Searches across names, achievements, and descriptions. Case-insensitive.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	required	Search keyword — matches name, known_for, or description.
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 20, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_historical_figures", "arguments": {"query": "renewable energy"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'query': 'renewable energy'},
            'name': 'search_historical_figures'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_figures_by_field`

List historical figures by their field of achievement. Valid fields include: Politics & Leadership, Science & Mathematics, Arts & Literature, Philosophy, Military, Exploration, Religion, Activism, Business & Economics.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`field`	string	required	Field of achievement (e.g. 'Science & Mathematics', 'Arts & Literature', 'Philosophy').
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 50, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_figures_by_field", "arguments": {"field": "'Science"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'field': "'Science"},
            'name': 'list_figures_by_field'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_figures_by_era`

List historical figures by historical era. Valid eras: Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Early Modern, Modern, Contemporary.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`era`	string	required	Historical era (e.g. 'Ancient', 'Medieval', 'Renaissance', 'Modern', 'Contemporary').
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 50, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_figures_by_era", "arguments": {"era": "'Ancient'"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'era': "'Ancient'"}, 'name': 'list_figures_by_era'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_figures_by_nationality`

List historical figures by nationality. Partial matching — e.g. 'american' matches 'American', 'Serbian-American', etc.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`nationality`	string	required	Nationality to filter by (case-insensitive, partial match).
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 50, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_figures_by_nationality", "arguments": {"nationality": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'nationality': 'example'},
            'name': 'list_figures_by_nationality'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`report_feedback`

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source. Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement. Args: feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion. feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedback`	string	required
`feedback_type`	string	optional	(default: `general`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "report_feedback", "arguments": {"feedback": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-figures/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'feedback': 'example'}, 'name': 'report_feedback'}},
)
print(resp.json())

Common Patterns

Search then retrieve
Use search_historical_figures to find items, then get_historical_figure to get full details. This two-step pattern is common for exploring data before drilling down.

Pagination
Several tools support limit, offset, or page parameters. Start with small limits during development, then increase for production queries.

FAQ

What data does Historical Figures provide?

Curated database of notable historical figures — leaders, scientists, artists, philosophers, and explorers. It exposes 6 tools: get_historical_figure, search_historical_figures, list_figures_by_field, list_figures_by_era, list_figures_by_nationality, report_feedback.

What do I need to get started?

A Gnist API key (free tier: 100 calls/day). Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup.

What format does the Historical Figures API return?

JSON, via either MCP protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0) or REST API.