Famous People Born In 1799

Honoré de Balzac was a French playwright and novelist. Since his works gave a detailed, unfiltered representation of society, Honoré de Balzac is generally considered one of the founders of realism and an important figure in European literature. Renowned for creating multi-faceted characters, Balzac influenced several popular writers like Charles John Huffam Dickens, Émile Zola, Henry James, and Gustave Flaubert.

English paleontologist Mary Anning is best known for the fossil collections she made in Jurassic marine fossil beds. She made major contributions to studies related to prehistoric life and the history of the Earth. As a woman in 19th-century Britain, she could not fully participate in the scientific community despite her brilliance. She gained fame after her death.

The son of a nurseryman, British botanist John Lindley revolutionized the plant classification system by introducing a method of considering all characters of plants. Known for his iconic work The Vegetable Kingdom, he also had a wide collection of orchids, which eventually found a place at the Kew Gardens.

German chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein is best remembered for his discovery of ozone and the fuel cell. He also discovered guncotton, or nitrocellulose, as a result of a kitchen accident. He was an apprentice at a chemical firm at 13 and grew up to teach at the at the University of Basel.

Chilean military and political figure Manuel Bulnes had an illustrious military career, leading and decisively winning several battles most notably the Battle of Yungay, the last battle of War of the Confederation that effectively dissolved the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy. Bulnes served as the 4th President of Chile. During his presidencies, Chile witnessed educational and cultural expansion, economic progress and public works developments.    

Samuel Simon Schmucker was a theologian and Lutheran pastor. He played a key role in the founding of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg as well as Gettysburg College. He also played a major role in the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran General Synod of the United States of America. He was also well-known for his efforts as an abolitionist.

Almeida Garrett was a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist, orator, journalist, and politician. He is widely regarded as the most important figure of Portuguese Romanticism. Garrett was also a humanist and great revolutionary. A peer of the realm, Almeida Garrett proposed the creation of the Conservatory of Dramatic Art and the construction of the Queen Maria II National Theatre.

Diego Vigil Cocaña was a Central American politician who served as the President of Federal Republic of Central America from 1839 to 1840. He also served as the 11th and 13th President of El Salvador between 1836 and 1838. Diego Vigil Cocaña is also remembered for his service as the seventh President of Honduras from 1828 to 1829.

Australian clergyman and author John Dunmore Lang is best remembered as the man who founded the Australian Presbyterian Church. He had also served as a Member of the NSW Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly. He also worked to ease the emigration of English Protestants to Australia.

Edward Belcher was a British naval officer and explorer. He was the great-grandson of slave trader Jonathan Belcher. As a young man,  he accompanied Frederick William Beechey's expedition to the Pacific and Bering Strait. He later led an Admiralty expedition to try to find and rescue Sir John Franklin, whose ship became icebound off King William Island in 1847.

Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander is best remembered for his research on variable stars. He served as the director of the Åbo Observatory in Finland and also released his legendary star catalogue Bonn Survey. He is also credited with establishing the Astronomical Society and won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Karl Briullov was a Russian painter who played an important role in the transition from neoclassicism to romanticism. Nicknamed Karl the Great, Bryullov is best remembered for producing some of the most memorable works like A Dream of a Girl Before a Sunrise, Italian Midday, and The Last Day of Pompeii.