Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1900. This list includes people like Oscar Wilde, Friedrich Nietzsche, Birsa Munda, John Ruskin, Gottlieb Daimler and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include philosophers, novelists, political leaders and poets who died in 1900. This list includes people from United States, Germany, United Kingdom and many more countries.

Vote for Your Favourite People Who Died In 1900

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

 1 

Oscar Wilde

(One of the Greatest Playwrights of the 'Victorian Era')

Birthdate: October 16, 1854

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

Died: November 30

Widely regarded as one of the most popular writers of all time, Oscar Wilde is best remembered for his plays and epigrams. He was also one of the best-known personalities during his time as he was popular for his conversational skills, flamboyant dressing sense, and biting wit. Imprisoned in 1895 for consensual homosexual acts, Oscar Wilde was pardoned posthumously in 2017.

Birthdate: October 15, 1844

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Röcken, Lützen, Germany

Died: August 25

German philosopher, cultural critic, composer, and poet Friedrich Nietzsche has had a profound influence on modern intellectual history. He held the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel. His work spanned philosophical polemics, poetry, cultural criticism, and fiction. He suffered from numerous health problems from a young age and died at the age of 55.

Birthdate: February 8, 1819

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: England

Died: January 20

The leading English art critic of the Victorian era, John Ruskin was a hugely influential figure in the latter half of the 19th century. Also a philosopher and prominent social thinker, he wrote on varied subjects like geology, architecture, education, botany, myth, ornithology, literature, and political economy. He founded the charitable trust Guild of St George.

Birthdate: March 17, 1834

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Schorndorf, Germany

Died: March 6

Gottlieb Daimler was a German engineer, industrialist, and industrial designer. A pioneer of automobile development and internal combustion engines, Daimler is credited with inventing the liquid petroleum-fueled engine. In 1978, Gottlieb Daimler was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

 5 

Birsa Munda

(Tribal Leader Who Revolted Against the British Rule)

Birthdate: November 15, 1875

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Ulihatu, Khunti, India

Died: June 9

In spite of his short life, which ended at age 24, Birsa Munda is remembered for spearheading the tribal movement against the British. He also made the British introduce new laws for the protection of the tribal land rights. He died in prison while undergoing trials.

 6 

Stephen Crane

(Writer, Journalist, Poet, Baseball player, Novelist, Screenwriter)

Listed In:

Birthdate: November 1, 1871

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Newark

Died: June 5

Birthdate: May 13, 1842

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Lambeth, London

Died: November 22

 8 

Wilhelm Steinitz

(American Chess Player and the First World Chess Champion)

Birthdate: May 14, 1836

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Prague, Czechia

Died: August 12

Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian-born American chess player. He is recognized as the first World Chess Champion, having reigned from 1886 to 1894. A multi-talented personality, Wilhelm Steinitz was also an influential chess theoretician and writer. Steinitz is also remembered for having a huge impact on the game and was a well-known player during his time.

 9 

Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

(Aristocrat)

Birthdate: July 20, 1835

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Langenburg, Germany

Died: January 25

Birthdate: December 6, 1823

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, German Confederation

Died: October 28

Max Müller was a German-born Orientalist and philologist. Müller is credited with co-founding the western academic disciplines of religious studies and Indian studies. In 1874, he was honored with the Pour le Mérite. He received the prestigious Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art in 1875. In India, the Goethe Institutes are named in his honor.

 11 

Ivan Aivazovsky

(Painter)

Birthdate: July 29, 1817

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Feodosia, Russia

Died: May 2

Remembered for his awe-inspiring marine art, Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky was the son of an Armenian merchant. His 60-year career had seen him produce around 6,000 works, most of which were seascapes. He had been the Russian navy’s official painter and inspired Anton Chekhov’s phrase worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush.

 12 

Belle Boyd

(Confederate Spy in the American Civil War)

Birthdate: May 9, 1844

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Martinsburg, Virginia

Died: June 11

Belle Boyd was a Confederate spy who was active during the American Civil War. Operating from her father's hotel in Virginia, Boyd provided key information to Confederate Commander Stonewall Jackson in 1862. Belle Boyd's life and career inspired a series of silent films called The Girl Spy.

 13 

Naim Frasheri

(Historian)

Birthdate: May 25, 1846

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Fraşer, Yanya Eyalet, Ottoman Empire (now Frashër, Albania)

Died: October 20

 14 

Henry Sidgwick

(British Philosopher and Economist Best Known in Philosophy for His Utilitarian Treatise 'The Methods of Ethics')

Birthdate: May 31, 1838

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Skipton, Yorkshire, England

Died: August 28

An influential English ethical philosopher and economist of the Victorian era, Henry Sidgwick is perhaps best known for his utilitarian treatise The Methods of Ethics. He promoted higher education of women and co-founded Newnham College. He remained a member of the Metaphysical Society and co-founded and served as first president of the Society for Psychical Research.

 15 

Isaac Levitan

(One of the Best Classical Russian Landscape Painters of the 19th Century )

Birthdate: August 30, 1860

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Kibartay, Lithuania

Died: August 4

Isaac Levitan was a Russian landscape painter remembered for his work that popularized the mood landscape genre. One of the most important landscape painters of his generation, Levitan was elected to the Russian Academy of Arts in 1897. The following year, Levitan was chosen as the head of the Landscape Studio at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

 16 

Collis Potter Huntington

(Industrialist and railway magnate)

Birthdate: October 22, 1821

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Harwinton, Connecticut, United States

Died: August 13

 17 

Mary Kingsley

(British Ethnographer, Scientific Writer and Explorer Known for Her Travels and Writings on West Africa)

Birthdate: October 13, 1862

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Islington, London, England

Died: June 3

English ethnographer and traveler Mary Kingsley was the daughter of renowned physician and traveler George Kingsley and the niece of Charles Kingsley. Unlike girls of her era, she was well-educated and later ventured on an exploratory trip to West Africa, becoming the first European to enter remote areas such as Gabon.

 18 

John Sherman

(Former Secretary of State)

Birthdate: May 10, 1823

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Lancaster, Ohio, U.S.

Died: October 22

 19 

William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong

(English Engineer and Industrialist Who is Regarded as the Inventor of Modern Artillery)

Birthdate: November 26, 1810

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Died: December 27

The founder of the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing company, William George Armstrong, also known as Baron Armstrong, redefined the design of guns and also invented the high-pressure hydraulic mechanism. Initially a lawyer, he later quit his practice to devote more time to engineering. He was also knighted for his feats.

 20 

Vladimir Solovyov

(Philosopher)

Birthdate: January 28, 1853

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Died: August 13

 21 

Osman Nuri Pasha

(Military Commander)

Birthdate: 1832 AD

Birthplace: Tokat, Turkey

Died: April 5

 22 

Étienne Lenoir

(Inventor, Engineer)

Birthdate: January 12, 1822

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Luxembourg

Died: August 4

Étienne Lenoir was a Belgian-French engineer. He is credited with developing the internal combustion engine which was commercialized in sufficient quantities. Lenoir is also credited with inventing such electrical devices as an improved electric telegraph which played a key role during the Franco-Prussian War. 

Birthdate: March 14, 1863

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Kentucky, United States

Died: April 30

 24 

Washakie

(American Saints)

Birthdate: 1808 AD

Birthplace: United States

Died: February 20

Washakie was an influential leader of the Shoshone people, a Native American tribe. He was recognized as the head of the Eastern Shoshones for a major part of his life by the representatives of the US government. He was inducted into theHall of Great Westerners in 1979.

 25 

Henry Wellesley, 3rd Duke of Wellington

(Politician)

Birthdate: April 5, 1846

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Apsley House, London, England

Died: June 8

 26 

Emil Škoda

(Engineer)

Birthdate: November 18, 1839

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Pilsen, Czechia

Died: August 8

 27 

John Bidwell

(Soldier)

Birthdate: August 5, 1819

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Chautauqua, New York, United States

Died: April 4

 28 

Marcus Daly

(Businessman)

Birthdate: December 5, 1841

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Ballyjamesduff, Ireland

Died: November 12

Born into a poor peasant family, Marcus Daly was 14 when he arrived in New York as an Irish refugee. He started his career unloading ships and then worked as a ranch boy and a railroad worker, eventually taking over the copper mining industry and emerging as a Copper King of Montana.

 29 

R. D. Blackmore

(Novelist)

Birthdate: June 9, 1825

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Longworth, England, United Kingdom

Died: January 20

 30 

Piet Joubert

(General)

Birthdate: January 20, 1831

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Died: March 28

 31 

Harriet E. Wilson

(American Novelist)

Birthdate: March 15, 1825

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Milford, New Hampshire, United States

Died: June 28

Birthdate: April 14, 1827

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Bramham cum Oglethorpe, England

Died: May 4

 33 

Mihály Munkácsy

(Former Painter who earned international reputation with his genre pictures and large-scale biblical paintings)

Birthdate: February 20, 1844

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Mukachevo, Ukraine

Died: May 1

 34 

Elizabeth Van Lew

(Abolitionist Known for Operating a Spy Ring for ‘Union Army’ During the ‘American Civil War’)

Birthdate: October 12, 1818

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

Died: September 25

American abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew is best-known for developing and running an extensive and efficient spy-ring for Union Army during American Civil War. She was the first person in Richmond who raised the US flag in the city after it fell to US forces in April 1865. She later served as Postmaster General of Richmond and modernized the city's postal-system.

 35 

James Edward Keeler

(American Astronomer Who Discovered the First 'Pulsar' and Observed the 'Rings of Saturn')

Birthdate: September 10, 1857

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: La Salle, Illinois, United States

Died: August 12

James Edward Keeler initially worked at the Lick Observatory and later proved that the rings of Saturn aren’t solid but are made of tiny particles. He used the reflecting telescope for his astrophotography projects. He had also been the director of the Allegheny Observatory and had co-founded Astrophysical Journal.

 36 

Alexandre Falguiere

(Sculptor)

Birthdate: September 7, 1831

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Toulouse, France

Died: April 19

 37 

Kuroda Kiyotaka

(Former Prime Minister of Japan)

Birthdate: November 9, 1840

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Shinyashikicho, Kagoshima, Japan

Died: August 23

Kuroda Kiyotaka, also known as Kuroda Ryōsuke, played a significant role in the Meiji Restoration. Apart from being president of the Privy Council, he had been the prime minister of Japan, too. He introduced Western agricultural methods in Hokkaido but reigned in the wake of controversies related to unequal treaties.

 38 

Ernest Dowson

(Poet)

Birthdate: August 2, 1867

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Lee, England

Died: February 23

 39 

E. R. Squibb

(Inventor)

Birthdate: July 4, 1819

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Died: October 25

 40 

Henry Villard

(American Financier and Journalist)

Birthdate: April 10, 1835

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Speyer, Germany

Died: November 12

 41 

James Augustine Healy

(Former Bishop of Portland)

Birthdate: April 6, 1830

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Macon, Georgia, United States

Died: August 5

Born to an Irish immigrant father and his African-American slave wife, James Augustine Healy was the first BlackRoman Catholic bishop of the U.S. However, he identified as White Irish, owing to his mixed race. Although he voiced his support for Native Americans, he never specifically spoke on African-American issues.

 42 

Frederic Edwin Church

(Painter)

Birthdate: May 4, 1826

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Hartford

Died: April 7

 43 

Eça de Queiroz

(One of the Greatest Portuguese Writers in the Realist Style)

Birthdate: November 25, 1845

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal

Died: August 16

José Maria de Eça de Queirós was a Portuguese writer and novelist. Widely regarded as the greatest exponent of literary realism in the Portuguese language, Eça's works have been translated into many languages, including English. Many of his works have also been adapted into films, TV series, and theatrical plays.

 44 

Gustav Meyer

(Linguist, Educator)

Birthdate: November 25, 1850

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Strzelce Opolskie, Poland

Died: August 28

 45 

Charles Russell, Baron Russell

(Jurist)

Birthdate: November 10, 1832

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: County Down, Ireland

Died: August 10

 46 

George Grove

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

Birthdate: August 13, 1820

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: London, England

Died: May 28

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.

 47 

James Martineau

(Philosopher)

Birthdate: April 21, 1805

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Norwich, England, United Kingdom

Died: January 11

 48 

Darge Sahle Selassie

(Ethiopian Nobleman and Advisor to Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia)

Birthdate: 1830 AD

Birthplace: Ethiopia

Died: March 23

The son of the Sahle Selassie, the king of Shewa, Darge Sahle Selassie was an able general. He later became the governor of Shewa and an advisor to his nephew, Menelik II, or Sahle Maryam, the emperor of Ethiopia. He also often served as a regent in the emperor’s absence.

 49 

Wilhelm Leibl

(Painter)

Birthdate: October 23, 1844

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Cologne, Germany

Died: December 4

 50 

Isaac Mayer Wise

(American Reform Rabbi Who Served as The Rabbi of the Congregation Beth-El of Albany)

Birthdate: March 29, 1819

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Lomnička, Czechia

Died: March 26

Isaac Mayer Wise was an American Reform rabbi, author, and editor. He is best remembered for his service as the rabbi of the congregation Beth-El of Albany. In this capacity, Isaac Mayer Wise effected many changes, such as the consent for having a mixed-sex choir, allowing women and men to sit together in family pews, and elimination of Bar Mitzvah.