The 1850s

1856 170 years ago

Louis Sullivan, American architect and educator, designed the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building (died 1924)

Louis Henry Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a me…

Louis Sullivan, American architect and educator, designed the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building (died 1924)

1856 170 years ago

Thomas E. Watson, American lawyer, publisher, and politician (died 1922)

Thomas Edward Watson was an American politician, attorney, newspaper editor, and writer from Georgia. In the 1890s Watson championed poor farmers as a leader of the Populist Party,…

Thomas E. Watson, American lawyer, publisher, and politician (died 1922)

1856 170 years ago

Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer and conductor (died 1924)

Johann Heinrich Beck was an American composer and conductor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he wrote a number of pieces for orchestra, as well as a string sextet and a string quartet. He…

Johann Heinrich Beck, American composer and conductor (died 1924)

1856 170 years ago

Arthur Morgan, Australian politician, 16th Premier of Queensland (died 1916)

Sir Arthur Morgan was an Australian politician who was Premier of Queensland from 1903 to 1906.

Arthur Morgan, Australian politician, 16th Premier of Queensland (died 1916)

1856 170 years ago

Anna Paaske, Norwegian opera singer and music teacher (died 1935)

Anna Paaske was a Norwegian opera singer and music teacher. She often performed in Wagner roles in concerts in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, and was especially popular in German…

Anna Paaske, Norwegian opera singer and music teacher (died 1935)

1856 170 years ago

Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author and educator (died 1923)

Kate Douglas Wiggin was an American educator, author and composer. She wrote children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and composed …

Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author and educator (died 1923)

1856 170 years ago

Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich, Irish author and playwright (died 1942)

Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich, known as Cú Uladh, was an Irish language writer during the Gaelic revival. He wrote stories based on Irish folklore, some of the first Irish-language…

Peadar Toner Mac Fhionnlaoich, Irish author and playwright (died 1942)

1856 170 years ago

Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger, Croatian geologist, paleontologist, and archaeologist (died 1936)

Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger was a Croatian geologist, paleontologist, and archeologist.

Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger, Croatian geologist, paleontologist, and archaeologist (died 1936)

1856 170 years ago

John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (born 1774)

John Wilbur was a prominent American Quaker minister and religious thinker who was at the forefront of a controversy that led to "the second split" in the Religious Society of Fr…

John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (born 1774)

1856 170 years ago

James Gates Percival, American poet, surgeon and geologist (born 1795)

James Gates Percival was an American poet, surgeon, and geologist.

James Gates Percival, American poet, surgeon and geologist (born 1795)

1856 170 years ago

Adolphe Adam, French composer and critic (born 1803)

Adolphe Charles Adam was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets Giselle (1841) and Le corsaire (18…

Adolphe Adam, French composer and critic (born 1803)

1856 170 years ago

Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis, Arab-French servant to Napoleon I (born 1788)

Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis was a member of the Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard, leading him to be known in his lifetime as "Mamelouk Ali". He was most notable as a faithful servant …

Louis-Étienne Saint-Denis, Arab-French servant to Napoleon I (born 1788)

1856 170 years ago

Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (born 1786)

Jacques Philippe Marie Binet was a French mathematician, physicist and astronomer born in Rennes; he died in Paris, France, in 1856. He made significant contributions to number the…

Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (born 1786)

1856 170 years ago

Ivan Kireyevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (born 1806)

Ivan Vasilyevich Kireyevsky was a Russian literary critic and philosopher who, together with Aleksey Khomyakov, is credited as a co-founder of the Slavophile movement.

Ivan Kireyevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (born 1806)

1856 170 years ago

Max Stirner, German philosopher and author (born 1806)

Johann Caspar Schmidt, known by the pen name Max Stirner, was a German philosopher, dealing mainly with the Hegelian notion of social alienation and self-consciousness. Stirner is …

Max Stirner, German philosopher and author (born 1806)

1856 170 years ago

James Strang, American religious leader and politician (born 1813)

James Jesse Strang was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch. He served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1853 until his assa…

James Strang, American religious leader and politician (born 1813)

1856 170 years ago

Edward Vernon Utterson, English lawyer and historian (born 1775)

Edward Vernon Utterson was a British lawyer, literary antiquary, collector and editor. He was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, one of the original members of the Roxburghe C…

Edward Vernon Utterson, English lawyer and historian (born 1775)

1856 170 years ago

Robert Schumann, German composer and critic (born 1810)

Robert Schumann was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice an…

Robert Schumann, German composer and critic (born 1810)

1856 170 years ago

Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist and academic (born 1776)

Lorenzo Romano Amedeo Carlo Avogadro, Count of Quaregna and Cerreto (, also, Italian: [ameˈdɛːo avoˈɡaːdro]; 9 August 1776 – 9 July 1856) was an Italian scientist, most noted for h…

Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist and academic (born 1776)

1856 170 years ago

Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, English author and activist (born 1778)

Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck was a British writer in the anti-slavery movement.

Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, English author and activist (born 1778)

1856 170 years ago

Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English lawyer and author (born 1811)

Gilbert Abbott à Beckett was an English humorist.

Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English lawyer and author (born 1811)

1856 170 years ago

Sir John Ross, Scottish naval officer and explorer (born 1777)

Rear-Admiral Sir John Ross was a British naval officer and explorer. He was the uncle of Sir James Clark Ross, who explored the Arctic with him, and later led expeditions to Antarc…

Sir John Ross, Scottish naval officer and explorer (born 1777)

1856 170 years ago

William Sprague III, American businessman and politician, 14th Governor of Rhode Island (born 1799)

William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III, was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Rhode Island, serving as the 14th governor, a U.S. repr…

William Sprague III, American businessman and politician, 14th Governor of Rhode Island (born 1799)

1856 170 years ago

Major Henry C

Henry Constantine Wayne was a United States Army officer, and is known for his commanding the expedition to test the U.S. Camel Corps as part of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis's …

Major Henry C