Credit where it is owed

Special thanks

The pledge existed for years before this site did — as a slide, a stack of note cards, and a room of people willing to try it. The friends below are the reason there was anything here to build.

The people who were there first

• Ryan Snelson — for using the Failure Pledge in his classroom, and improving it.

The rest of this page is owed rather than chosen. Most of the photographs in the failure library are used under licences that require the photographer to be named, so these credits are the condition of using them at all.

Photographs

Every portrait is either in the public domain or under an open licence. Where a licence asks for a credit it is given on the entry itself as well as here.

• Abraham LincolnPhotograph by Alexander Gardner, 8 November 1863. Mead Art Museum, Amherst College.Public domain
• Agatha ChristiePhoto: unknown author, 1910s, The Christie Archive Trust, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Akio MoritaPhoto: 626startouch, 1977, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.CC BY-SA 4.0
• Alan ShepardPhoto: NASA (S70-45232, August 1970), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.Public domain (PD-USGov-NASA)
• Albert EinsteinPhoto: Ferdinand Schmutzer, 1921, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Alfred HitchcockPhoto: Fred Palumbo, 1956, New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.Public domain
• Andy WarholJack Mitchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0
• Ann DowdPhoto by Peabody Awards. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0
• Antonio VivaldiEngraved portrait of Antonio Vivaldi by François Morellon la Cave, 1725 — the Effigies Antonii Vivaldi made for Michel-Charles Le Cène's Amsterdam edition of Op. 8, the set containing The Four Seasons. Via Wikimedia Commons; public domain (PD-old-100).Public domain
• Arianna HuffingtonPhoto: David Shankbone, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 3.0.CC BY 3.0
• Audie MurphyPhoto: U.S. Army, 1948, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Auguste RodinPhotograph of Auguste Rodin at Meudon, 1905, by Gertrude Käsebier (1852-1934). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, ppmsca.12083.Public domain (Commons licence tag PD-US; the source record notes no known copyright restriction). Published 1905; the photographer died in 1934.
• Barry MarshallPhoto: Barjammar, 2008, via Wikimedia Commons (released into the public domain).Public domain
• Benjamin DisraeliPhotograph by Cornelius Jabez Hughes, 22 July 1878. National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG x665), via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Bill WithersPhoto by onetwothreefourfive, 2015. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0
• Bob OdenkirkPhoto by Kevin Paul. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 4.0
• Brian CheskyPhoto by Celeste Sloman. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 4.0
• Brian WilsonPhoto by Takahiro Kyono, 2012. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0
• Bruce LeeABC Television publicity photograph, August 1967; restoration by Wikimedia Commons user BevinKacon.Public domain
• Buster KeatonAuthor unknown, c. 1920s.Public domain
• Charles de GaulleU.S. Office of War Information, Library of Congress. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Charles GoodyearDaguerreotype of Charles Goodyear by Southworth & Hawes, Boston, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.Public domain (PD-old-70-expired on Wikimedia Commons: the author died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1930)
• Charles M. SchulzPhoto: Roger Higgins, New York World-Telegram and Sun, 1956, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons (no known copyright restrictions).Public domain
• Charley PrideGreg Mathison, US Department of Defense.Public domain
• Christian DiorParis-Match, Musée Carnavalet — Histoire de Paris / Paris Musées. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC0
• Claude MonetPhoto: Nadar, 1899, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Colonel Harland SandersDan Lindsay. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Dan JansenRob Croes / Anefo, Nationaal Archief. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC0
• Dwight D. EisenhowerU.S. Army. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Edvard MunchPhotograph by Anders Beer Wilse, 20 November 1933. Norwegian Museum of Cultural History / Nasjonalbiblioteket.Public domain (PD-Norway50)
• Ernest ShackletonBain News Service, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication.Public domain
• Frank Lloyd WrightAl Ravenna, New York World-Telegram and the Sun, Library of Congress. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Frida KahloPhotograph of Frida Kahlo by her father, Guillermo Kahlo, 16 October 1932, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain: the photographer died in 1941.Public domain
• Fyodor DostoevskyVasily Perov, Portrait of Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1872), State Tretyakov Gallery, via Wikimedia Commons (Google Art Project).Public domain
• Garrett MorganPhoto: unknown author, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• George OrwellPhoto: Branch of the National Union of Journalists, 1943, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• George WashingtonPortrait: Gilbert Stuart, 1803, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• George Washington CarverPhoto: Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1906, Library of Congress; restoration by Adam Cuerden, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Molteni (1800–1867), portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, 1840. Source: SAN – Portale Verdi, via Wikimedia Commons in partnership with the Istituto centrale per gli archivi (ICAR). Public domain.Public domain
• Grandma MosesPhoto: Clara Sipprell, 1950, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).CC0 1.0
• Harrison FordPhoto: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.CC BY-SA 2.0
• Harry S. TrumanFrank Gatteri, United States Army Signal Corps. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Hayao MiyazakiPhoto by Natasha Baucas, 2009. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0
• Horatio NelsonPortrait: Lemuel Francis Abbott, 1799, National Maritime Museum, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Ignaz SemmelweisPhotograph by Ludwig Angerer (1827-1879), Vienna, 1864. Held by the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History, Budapest; via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain: the file page carries PD-old-100-expired and the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0.Public domain
• Isambard Kingdom BrunelPhotograph by Robert Howlett (British, 1831–1858), 1857. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain (PD-Art, PD-old-100-expired)
• J.K. RowlingPhoto: Daniel Ogren, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.CC BY 2.0
• Jack MaPhoto: UNclimatechange, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.CC BY 2.0
• Jeff CohenCelebHeights.com. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 4.0
• Jerry SeinfeldPhoto: Alan Light, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.CC BY 2.0
• Jesse OwensPhotograph of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, NAID 142664055, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain in the United States.Public domain
• Jimmy CarterOfficial White House portrait, photographed 1 May 1978. White House Staff Photographers, Carter White House Photographs Collection; U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA 179156), via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Joan RiversFredana Management, photograph by James Kriegsmann. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• John CassavetesNBC Television publicity photo, 1959.Public domain
• John GlennNASA Glenn Research Center (NASA-GRC), NASA image ID C-1999-00429. Photographed February 1962.Public domain (PD-USGov-NASA: a work of NASA, not subject to copyright in the United States)
• John Logie BairdBain News Service portrait, author not identified. Library of Congress, George Grantham Bain collection, digital ID ggbain.25629, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain: first published before 1 January 1931, and the Library records no known copyright restrictions. The Commons file name says 1917; the Library of Congress dates the negative 18 March 1927.Public domain
• Julia ChildLynn Gilbert. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 4.0
• Jürgen KloppPhoto by Tim.Reckmann, 2014. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Katalin KarikóUS Embassy Sweden, 2023. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0
• Ke Huy QuanThe White House, 2023.Public domain
• Kim Dae-jungPhoto: EC — Audiovisual Service, © European Union, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 4.0.CC BY 4.0
• King Camp GillettePhoto: Benjamin Joseph Falk, 1906, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Kurt WarnerPhoto: Sgt. Macario P. Mora Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Laurence OlivierPhoto by Allan Warren. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Lee IacoccaPhoto by Bernard Gotfryd, 1980. Library of Congress.Public domain (Library of Congress, no known restrictions on publication)
• Leonard CohenPhoto by Rama. CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 2.0 fr
• Les PaulPhoto: William P. Gottlieb, c. 1947, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Louisa May AlcottPhoto: George Kendall Warren, c. 1870, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Lucille BallHarry Warnecke and Robert F. Cranston, 1944. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Elsie M. Warnecke. Released CC0.CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
• Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaPhoto: Ricardo Stuckert / Agência Brasil, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 3.0 Brazil.CC BY 3.0 BR
• Madeleine L'EngleJacket design: Ellen Raskin, 1962, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain, published without notice).Public domain
• Mara WilsonPhoto by Super Festivals. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0
• Maria MontessoriUnknown photographer. Nationaal Archief (Dutch National Archives), ref. 119-0489. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Marie CuriePhotograph by Henri Manuel (1874-1947), c. 1920. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Michael JordanDOD photo by D. Myles Cullen.Public domain
• Miguel de CervantesTitle page of the first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo don Quixote de la Mancha, printed by Juan de la Cuesta, Madrid, 1605. Digitised copy from the Biblioteca Nacional de España, Biblioteca Digital Hispánica (id 0000192233), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain: published 1605.Public domain
• Morgan FreemanPhoto: David Sifry, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.CC BY 2.0
• Nelson MandelaPaul Weinberg. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Niki LaudaHans van Dijk for Anefo, Nationaal Archief.CC0 / Public Domain Dedication
• Nolan BushnellPhoto by Tech Cocktail. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 2.0
• Oprah WinfreyUS Embassy South Africa, 2016.Public domain
• Paul CézannePhotograph of Paul Cézanne, unknown photographer, published in the Galerien Thannhauser Claude Monet memorial exhibition catalogue, Berlin, 1928. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain (Commons tags PD-old and PD-US, plus the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0). Published 1928; the photographer is unknown.
• Peter DinklagePhoto by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Peter HiggsBengt Nyman. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0
• Randy NewmanRob Bogaerts / Anefo, Nationaal Archief. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC0
• Rembrandt van RijnRembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, 1659, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection (1937.1.72).CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
• Roald AmundsenLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, digital ID cph.3c28547 (LCCN 2001696802), 1913. Photographer not identified. Public domain: published before 1 January 1931, and marked Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0.Public domain
• Rodney DangerfieldPress photo, 1972, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Ruth Bader GinsburgOfficial portrait, 5 January 2016. Supreme Court of the United States, photographer Steve Petteway, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain (PD-USGov-SCOTUS)
• Samuel BeckettRoger Pic, Bibliothèque nationale de France. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Sara BlakelyPhoto: David Shankbone, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 3.0.CC BY 3.0
• Sidney PoitierPhotographer unknown, c. 1964.Public domain
• Sir Frank WhittleBritish Government photograph, Imperial War Museum collections, IWM CH 11867, 30 December 1943. Via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain — UK Crown copyright expired ({{PD-UKGov}})
• Sir James DysonThe Royal Society. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 4.0
• Sixto RodriguezPhoto by Kim Metso, 2013. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Soichiro HondaPhoto: Art Shokai, 1934, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain in Japan and the US).Public domain
• Srinivasa RamanujanUnknown photographer, before 1920. Oberwolfach Photo Collection, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Stephen KingPhoto: Kevin Payravi / WikiPortraits, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.CC BY-SA 4.0
• Stephen SondheimPhoto by Bernard Gotfryd, 1972. Library of Congress.Public domain
• Steve CarellPeabody Awards. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Steve JobsPhoto: Matthew Yohe, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Steve WozniakPhoto: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.CC BY-SA 3.0
• Susan LucciThe Heart Truth, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.Public domain
• Tenzing NorgayColin Ashe. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 2.0
• The Wright brothersPhoto: John T. Daniels, 17 December 1903, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Theodor Seuss GeiselPhoto by Al Ravenna, 1957. New York World-Telegram and the Sun, Library of Congress.Public domain
• Tina TurnerPierre André Leclercq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsGFDL 1.2+ and CC BY-SA (all versions); used here under CC BY-SA 4.0
• Toni MorrisonPhoto: Bernard Gotfryd, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons (no known copyright restrictions).Public domain
• Ulysses S. GrantPhoto: Brady-Handy Collection, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Vera WangPhoto: Christopher Peterson, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 2.0.CC BY 2.0
• Walt DisneyPhoto: Boy Scouts of America official photographer, 1946, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Wilma RudolphHenk Lindeboom / Anefo, Nationaal Archief. CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY-SA 3.0 NL
• Winston ChurchillPhoto: Yousuf Karsh, 1941, Library and Archives Canada, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).Public domain
• Yayoi KusamaPhoto: George Quasha, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY 3.0.CC BY 3.0
• Zaha HadidColumbia GSAPP. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.CC BY 2.0

Typefaces

• EB Garamond — Georg Duffner and Octavio Pardo. SIL Open Font License.
• UnifrakturMaguntia — Peter Wiegel. SIL Open Font License.
• Cinzel — Natanael Gama. SIL Open Font License.
• Great Vibes — TypeSETit. SIL Open Font License.

Archives and sources

The failure library depends on institutions that publish the record and let people check it: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress, the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, museum and university archives, and the researchers whose work made it possible to tell the difference between what happened and what gets repeated. Every claim on this site carries its source so you can go and look.