Famous People Born In 1801

Occultist and herbalist Marie Laveau was known as the Vodoo Queen of New Orleans. Though a hairdresser, she was chiefly known for her spiritual practices which she used to heal the sick and the poor. She has inspired several books, such as Robert Tallant's The Voodoo Queen.

An important figure in the English religious history, John Henry Newman was a nineteenth century theologian, scholar and poet. Famed for leading the Oxford movement in the Church of England, he later switched to the Roman Catholic Church, eventually becoming the Cardinal Deacon of St. George in Velabro.  Also an influential educator and writer, he was canonized in October 2019.

Belgian physicist and mathematician Joseph Plateau was a pioneer of the modern animation and movie industry, as he invented the phenakistiscope, the world’s first device to create an illusion of motion through images. He also laid down the structure of soap films through Plateau's laws.

Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini was encouraged to study music by his organist father. Best known for his operas such as The Sleepwalker and Norma, Bellini was named the Swan of Catania. His letters to his friend Francesco Florimo reveal Bellini was known for his womanizing ways, too.

An ardent follower of Adam Smith’s ideas, French economist Frederic Bastiat propagated the concept of free trade. Apart from launching his journal Le Libre-Échange, he also penned the iconic satire Sophismes économiques and his most notable work The Law. He also introduced what later came to be known as opportunity cost.

Croatian lieutenant field marshal in the Imperial-Royal Army and politician Count Josip Jelačić served as the Ban (Viceroy) of Croatia and Governor of the Kingdom of Dalmatia. He sought to free Croatia from Hungary and supported Croatian independence from the Austrian throne. He is noted for his military campaigns during the Revolutions of 1848 and for abolishing serfdom in Croatia.

Gustav Fechner was a German physicist, philosopher, and experimental psychologist. A pioneer in the field of experimental psychology, Fechner is credited with founding psychophysics. Gustav Fechner inspired several philosophers and scientists like Jan Koenderink, David Heeger, and Farley Norman. In 1970, a crater on the Moon was named after him by the International Astronomical Union.

Johannes Peter Müller was a German physiologist, ichthyologist, herpetologist, and comparative anatomist. Known for his discoveries and his capability to synthesize knowledge, Müller made important contributions to the field of physiology. He also mentored physiologists and scientists like Hermann von Helmholtz, Theodor Schwann, Emil du Bois-Reymond, Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, Ernst Haeckel, and Ernst Wilhelm Brücke.

Part of the École des Beaux-Arts school of architecture, French architect Henri Labrouste is best known for popularizing iron frame construction. The Prix de Rome winner also designed the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève and the Bibliothèque Nationale. He also received a pension from the French government and lived in the Medici Villa.

Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán was a Salvadoran politician best remembered for his service as the acting President of El Salvador. He served as the acting president on three occasions between 1844 and 1859. An important politician, Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán also served as the Vice President of El Salvador on a couple of occasions.   

Regarded as the first economist who had applied math to solve economic problems, Antoine-Augustin Cournot had penned the iconic work Researches into the Mathematical Principles of the Theory of Wealth. He was also the first to chart a supply and demand curve on a graph and introduced Cournot competition.

Rifa'a al-Tahtawi was an Egyptian writer, translator, teacher, intellectual, and Egyptologist. Many of his works were aimed at bringing an understanding between Christian and Islamic civilizations. Rifa'a al-Tahtawi also played an important role in influencing the development of literature, science, law, and Egyptology in 19th-century Egypt. 

Credited with establishing the first agricultural research station, French agricultural scientist and chemist Jean-Baptiste Boussingault made significant discoveries in agricultural science. Establishing the importance of nitrogen in plant growth, busting the myth that plants absorb the element from the atmosphere and proving that nitrogen content in soil increases after the cultivation of legumes are some of his contributions in this field.  

Austrian singer, actor, and playwright Johann Nestroy was part of the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier era in Central Europe. He took part in the Revolutions of 1848 and the new liberal spirit which was spreading across Europe at that time reflected in his works. He penned around 80 comedies, including Einen Jux will er sich machen.

Félix Dujardin was a French biologist best remembered for his research on invertebrates, especially protozoans. He worked at the University of Toulouse, where he was a professor of mineralogy and geology. Félix Dujardin also taught botany and zoology at Rennes.

Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer was a Dutch historian and politician who worked under William II of the Netherlands, serving as his secretary. He then went on to lead the Anti-Revolutionary Party and became known as an influential political writer. Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer also played an important role in the evangelical renewal movement, which was called Réveil in the Netherlands.

Lars Johan Hierta was a Swedish businessman, politician, social critic, and newspaper publisher. Best known for founding the popular Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet in 1830, Hierta is sometimes referred to as the father of the free press. Lars Johan Hierta is also remembered as an agitator for social and political reform during the 19th century.

John Batman was an Australian entrepreneur, grazier, and explorer. He is best remembered for his contribution in the Founding of Melbourne, which is now considered one of Australia's most important and largest cities. Numerous places in Australia have been named after John Batman.

German physicist Carl August von Steinheil is best remembered for his pioneering work in optics, photometry, and telegraphy. His ideas gave rise to new designs in telegraphic receivers which in turn decreased the cost of telegraphic lines to a great extent. He also contributed as a teacher, teaching mathematics and physics at Munich University.