Famous People Born in 1820

Discover the most famous people born in 1820. The list includes people like Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, William Tecumseh Sherman, Herbert Spencer and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include novelists, philosophers, social reformers and poets born in 1820. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom and many more countries.

Vote for Your Favourite Person

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Florence Nightingale

(Social Reformer & Founder of Modern Nursing and Known as 'The Lady with the Lamp')

Birthdate: 12th May

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Died: August 13, 1910

The Lady with the Lamp Florence Nightingale is remembered for her relentless efforts in nursing soldiers during the Crimean War. She founded London’s St Thomas' Hospital to train nurses. She also pioneered the use of the polar area diagram and was the first female member of the Royal Statistical Society.

Susan B. Anthony

(Social Reformer and Women's Rights Activist Who Was a Pioneer Crusader for the Women’s Suffrage Movement)

Birthdate: 15th February

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Adams, Massachusetts, United States

Died: March 13, 1906

Susan B. Anthony's vital role in the women's suffrage movement changed the course of history. She led one of the two national suffrage organizations, which later became the National American Woman Suffrage Association, with Susan as its leading force. She also played an instrumental role in publishing The Revolution, a women's rights newspaper.

Birthdate: 8th February

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Lancaster, Ohio, United States

Died: February 14, 1891

William Tecumseh Sherman served as the Union Army general during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for his “scorched earth” military policy and was known as "the first modern general.” His 1875 book Memoir, related his war experiences. He was associated with wildlife conservation in his later years.

Recommended Lists:

Jenny Lind

(One of the Most Highly Regarded Singers of the 19th Century)

Birthdate: 6th October

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden

Died: November 2, 1887

Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, also known as the "Swedish Nightingale,” was a prominent 19th-century soprano and performed all over Europe. She also donated generously to various charities, especially to the cause of free schools in Sweden. She also taught at the Royal College of Music in London.

Recommended Lists:

Herbert Spencer

(Philosopher and Sociologist Known for His Hypothesis of ‘Social Darwinism’ and the Expression 'Survival of the Fittest')

Birthdate: 27th April

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Derby, Derbyshire, England

Died: December 8, 1903

Herbert Spencer was the man behind the expression “survival of the fittest,” after reading Charles Darwin's iconic work On the Origin of Species. The British anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher introduced the concept of Social Darwinism, which applied the theory of evolution to societies and social classes.

Birthdate: 17th January

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Thornton, West Yorkshire

Died: May 28, 1849

Recommended Lists:

Birthdate: 26th September

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Birsingha, West Bengal, India

Died: July 29, 1891

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was an Indian social reformer and educator. He is best remembered for his efforts to modernize and simplify Bengali prose for which he is widely regarded as the father of Bengali prose. As a social reformer, Vidyasagar played a crucial role in enacting the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, which legalized the remarriage of Hindu widows in India.

Birthdate: 6th February

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Lee, Massachusetts, United States

Died: October 5, 1885

Recommended Lists:

Fanny Crosby

(Poet)

Birthdate: 24th March

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Brewster, New York, United States

Died: February 12, 1915

Alexandru Ioan Cuza

(One of the Founders of the Modern Romanian State)

Birthdate: 20th March

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Bârlad, Romania

Died: May 15, 1873

Alexandru Ioan Cuza was the first ruler of the Romanian Principalities after the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia. He is credited with modernizing the Romanian society through a series of reforms. Today, Alexandru Ioan Cuza is regarded as a national hero of Romania. He is also counted among the founders of the modern Romanian state.

Recommended Lists:

John Tyndall

(Irish Experimental Physicist Who Became Famous for His Study of Dimagnetism)

Birthdate: 2nd August

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Leighlinbridge, Ireland

Died: December 4, 1893

Born into a poor Protestant family, Irish physicist John Tyndall was a self-made man who funded his own doctoral education. His contributions include his research on the greenhouse effect and the discovery of the Tyndall effect. Not known to many, he was also an avid mountaineer and glaciologist.

Birthdate: 30th November

Birthplace: Faizabad

Died: April 7, 1879

Also known as Begum of Awadh, Begum Hazrat Mahal was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. She is remembered for rebelling against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Following her husband’s exile, she took over affairs in the state of Awadh. However, she was forced by the British to abandon Awadh.

Recommended Lists:

John Tenniel

(Illustrator)

Birthdate: 28th February

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Bayswater, London, England

Died: February 25, 1914

Henri Vieuxtemps

(Belgian Composer and Violinist Known for Playing What Is Now Known as the ‘Vieuxtemps Guarneri')

Birthdate: 17th February

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Verviers, Belgium

Died: June 6, 1881

Henri Vieuxtemps was a Belgian violinist and composer best remembered as one of the most important exponents of the Franco-Belgian school of violin. He is also famous for owning a legendary violin, which is now called the Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù. This violin, which was built by Giuseppe Guarneri, is counted among the finest examples of the craftsmanship of Guarneri.

Recommended Lists:

Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal

(Statesman)

Birthdate: 6th August

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Forres, Scotland

Died: January 21, 1914

Nadar

(Photographer)

Birthdate: 6th April

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Paris

Died: March 20, 1910

Nadar was a French caricaturist, photographer, novelist, journalist, and balloonist who championed heavier-than-air flight. Nadar became the first photographer to take aerial photographs in 1858. His photographic portraits are preserved by several museums and institutions.

Recommended Lists:

Birthdate: 14th March

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Palazzo Carignano, Turin, Italy

Died: January 9, 1878

Victor Emmanuel II of Italy reigned as the king of Sardinia from 1849 to 1861. He then became the first king of a united Italy in 1861 and reigned as its king until his death in 1878. Since he played a major role in the Second Italian War of Independence, Italians started referring to him as Father of the Fatherland.

James Buchanan Eads

(American Civil Engineer and Inventor Best Known for His 'Triple-Arch Steel Bridge' Over the Mississippi River)

Birthdate: 23rd May

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Lawrenceburg, Indiana, United States

Died: March 8, 1887

Engineer James B. Eads spent most of his early life marine-salvaging along the Mississippi. Apart from building submarines, he also owned over 50 patents. He is best remembered for his triple-arch steel bridge over the Mississippi. He was the first American engineer to win the Royal Society of Arts’s Albert Medal.

Recommended Lists:

Henry Jarvis Raymond

(Journalist)

Birthdate: 24th January

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Livingston County, New York, United States

Died: June 18, 1869

Božena Němcová

(Czech Writer Best Known For Her Novel 'Babička')

Birthdate: 4th February

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Died: January 21, 1862

Božena Němcová was a Czech writer who was active during the Czech National Revival movement. She is best remembered for her 1855 novel Babička (The Grandmother), which was inspired by her own childhood in the Ratibořice village where she spent most of her time with her maternal grandmother, Magdalena Novotná. Božena Němcová's image is portrayed on the 500 CZK currency note.

Recommended Lists:

Edmond Becquerel

(First observed the photovoltaic effect)

Birthdate: 24th March

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: May 11, 1891

Eagle Woman

(Translator)

Birthdate: 30th November

Birthplace: South Dakota, United States

Died: December 18, 1888

Eagle Woman was a Lakota activist and translator. She was known for mediating the conflicts between the Sioux, white settlers, and the US government. She was the only woman recognized as chief among the Sioux. Along with her daughter, she organized a day school at Standing Rock Indian Reservation. She was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame.

Recommended Lists:

Afanasy Fet

(Poet)

Birthdate: 5th December

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Mtsensk, Russia

Died: December 3, 1892

Yakub Beg

(Adventurer)

Birthdate: 30th November

Birthplace: Khanate of Kokand, Uzbekistan

Died: May 30, 1877

Recommended Lists:

Anna Sewell

(Writer, Novelist, Children's writer)

Birthdate: 30th March

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Great Yarmouth

Died: April 25, 1878

Jeanne Duval

(Actress)

Birthdate: 30th November

Birthplace: Jacmel, Haiti

Died: 1862 AD

Recommended Lists:

Augustus Washington

(Photographer, Politician)

Birthdate: 30th November

Birthplace: Trenton, New Jersey, United States

Died: June 7, 1875

John William Dawson

(Canadian Geologist Who Made Numerous Contributions to Paleobotany)

Birthdate: 13th October

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Nova Scotia, Canada

Died: November 19, 1899

Canadian geologist John William Dawson began his career as the first superintendent of education of Nova Scotia. He also served as the principal of McGill University, where he taught, too. An expert in paleobotany, he discovered ancient plant species. He was knighted for his contribution to geology.

Recommended Lists:

Washington Duke

(Businessperson)

Birthdate: 18th December

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Orange County

Died: May 8, 1905

Anson Burlingame

(Lawyer)

Birthdate: 14th November

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: New Berlin, New York, United States

Died: February 23, 1870

Gustave Le Gray

(Photographer)

Birthdate: 30th August

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Villiers-le-Bel, France

Died: July 30, 1884

Louisa Lane Drew

(Actress)

Birthdate: 10th January

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: London, England

Died: August 31, 1897

Mary Livermore

(Journalist)

Birthdate: 19th December

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Died: May 23, 1905

Dion Boucicault

(Actor)

Birthdate: 26th December

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

Died: September 18, 1890

Friedrich Engels

(German Philosopher Who Developed 'Marxism' Together With Karl Max)

Birthdate: 28th November

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Barmen, Germany

Died: August 5, 1895

Friedrich Engels was a German philosopher, political scientist, and revolutionary socialist. Along with Karl Marx, Engels helped develop Marxism, which has had a profound impact on fields like philosophy and anthropology. Engels is credited with helping Marx publish Das Kapital, a foundational theoretical work in politics, economics, and materialist philosophy. He also co-authored influential political documents like The Communist Manifesto.

Alice Cary

(Poet, Author, Novelist, Writer)

Birthdate: 26th April

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Mount Healthy

Died: February 12, 1871

Maria Vicenta Rosal

(Nun)

Birthdate: 26th October

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

Died: August 24, 1886

Multatuli

(Dutch Writer Best Known for His Satirical Novel 'Max Havelaar')

Birthdate: 2nd March

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Died: February 19, 1887

Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known as Multatuli, soared to fame with his anticolonial satire Max Havelaar. A colonial officer in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), he hoped to bring about a change in the Dutch colonial policy through his works. He is now regarded as the pioneer of contemporary Dutch literature.

Jakob Stämpfli

(Swiss Politician)

Birthdate: 23rd February

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Wengi, Switzerland

Died: May 15, 1879

Thomas Baines

(Artist)

Birthdate: 27th November

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: King’s Lynn, England

Died: May 8, 1875

George Grove

(British Engineer, Writer and Founding Editor of 'Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians')

Birthdate: 13th August

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: London, England

Died: May 28, 1900

Although the son of a meat seller and fishmonger, George Grove grew up appreciating music and literature. Although he began his career as a civil engineer, his passion for music drove him to write the iconic Dictionary of Music and Musicians. He also served the Royal College of Music as its first director.

Kanaung Mintha

(Prince)

Birthdate: 31st January

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Amarapura, Myanmar, Burma

Died: August 2, 1866

Maharero

(Revolutionary)

Birthdate: 30th November

Birthplace: Okahandja

Died: October 7, 1890

Johannes Rebmann

(German Missionary and Explorer Who was the First European to Locate Mt. Kilimanjaro)

Birthdate: 16th January

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Gerlingen, Germany

Died: October 4, 1876

German missionary Johannes Rebmann became the first person to explore Africa from the continent’s Indian Ocean coast and also the first European to discover Mt. Kilimanjaro. Along with his associate Johann Ludwig Krapf, he also stumbled upon Mt. Kenya. His diary later revealed a lot about his experiences in Africa.

Princess Alexandrine of Baden

(Aristocrat)

Birthdate: 6th December

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Karlsruhe, Germany

Died: December 20, 1904

Mkrtich Khrimian

(Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople from 1869 to 1873)

Birthdate: 4th April

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Van, Ottoman Empire

Died: October 29, 1907

Mkrtich Khrimian was an Armenian Apostolic Church leader, publisher, and educator. From 1893 to 1907, he served as Catholicos of All Armenians. Mkrtich Khrimian is also remembered for his service as the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople from 1869 to 1873. Khrimian is credited with laying the foundation for the Armenian national movement of the 19th and 20th centuries.

George Hearst

(United States Senator from California (1886, 1887-91))

Birthdate: 3rd September

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Sullivan, Missouri, United States

Died: February 28, 1891

Samuel Blatchford

(Jurist)

Birthdate: 9th March

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Auburn, New York, United States

Died: July 7, 1893