Famous People Born In 1820

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

At the time of her death at age 111, Katherine Plunket became Ireland’s oldest person to have ever existed. Born into Irish aristocracy, Plunket was the granddaughter of the first Baron Plunket. She was also well-traveled and was known for her botanical illustrations, collected in Wild Flowers from Nature.