Explore 785 historical events from 1850–1859.
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, s…
Knut Hamsun, Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1952)
Katharine Lee Bates was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which …
Katharine Lee Bates, American poet and author (died 1929)
Matilda "Lida" Scott Howell was an American archer who competed in the early twentieth century. She won three gold medals in Archery at the 1904 Summer Olympics in Missouri in the …
Matilda Howell, American archer (died 1938)
Charles Albert Comiskey, nicknamed "Commy" or "the Old Roman", was an American professional baseball first baseman, manager, and team owner. He played 13 seasons in the American As…
Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager (died 1931)
Vittorio Sella was an Italian photographer and mountaineer, whose photographs of mountains are regarded as some of the finest ever made.
Vittorio Sella, Italian mountaineer and photographer (died 1943)
Sir Macpherson Robertson was an Australian philanthropist, entrepreneur and founder of chocolate and confectionery company MacRobertson's. He was also known for bringing the United…
Macpherson Robertson, Australian businessman and philanthropist, founded MacRobertson's (died 1945)
Vjenceslav Novak was a Croatian Realist writer, dramatist, and music historian.
Vjenceslav Novak, Croatian author and playwright (died 1905)
Yuan Shikai was a Chinese general and statesman. As leader of the Beiyang Army, he played a decisive role in securing the abdication of the Qing court. He served as the second prov…
Yuan Shikai, Chinese general and politician, President of the Republic of China (died 1916)
Frank Dawson Adams was a Canadian geologist.
Frank Dawson Adams, Canadian geologist and academic (died 1942)
Henry McCarty, alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders. He was solely responsib…
Billy the Kid, American gunman (died 1881)
Isaac Lee Patterson was the 18th governor of Oregon from 1927 to 1929. An Oregon native, he served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly from 1918 to 1922, and was a farmer in the Wil…
I. L. Patterson, American politician, 18th Governor of Oregon (died 1929)
John Lewis Bates was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Massachusetts.
John L. Bates, American lawyer and politician, 41st Governor of Massachusetts (died 1946)
Lincoln Loy McCandless was a United States cattle rancher, industrialist and politician for the Territory of Hawaii. McCandless served in the United States Congress as a territoria…
Lincoln Loy McCandless, American businessman and politician (died 1940)
Francesc Macià i Llussà was a Catalan politician who served as the 122nd president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and formerly an officer in the Spanish Army.
Francesc Macià, Catalan colonel and politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (died 1933)
Julius Klengel was a German cellist who is most famous for his études and solo pieces written for the instrument. He was the brother of Paul Klengel. A member of the Gewandhausorch…
Julius Klengel, German cellist and composer (died 1933)
Henri-Louis Bergson was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th c…
Henri Bergson, French philosopher and theologian, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1941)
Alfred Dreyfus was a French Army officer best known for his central role in the Dreyfus affair. In 1894, Dreyfus fell victim to a judicial conspiracy that eventually sparked a majo…
Alfred Dreyfus, French colonel (died 1935)
Frederick Childe Hassam was an American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in …
Childe Hassam, American painter and illustrator (died 1935)
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century.
John Dewey, American psychologist and philosopher (died 1952)
Prince Ludwig Ferdinand Maria Karl Heinrich Adalbert Franz Philipp Andreas Konstantin of Bavaria was a member of the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach and a General of Cavalry. Followi…
Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria (died 1949)
Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville, was a French diplomat, political philosopher and historian. He is best known for his works Democracy in America and The Old Regim…
Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and philosopher, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1805)
Tantia Tope was an Indian general in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.
Tatya Tope, Indian general (born 1814)
Joseph Diez Gergonne was a French mathematician and logician.
Joseph Diaz Gergonne, French mathematician and philosopher (born 1771)
Johann Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet was a German mathematician. In number theory, he proved special cases of Fermat's Last Theorem and created analytic number theory. In analysis…
Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (born 1805)