Famous People Born In 1827

British surgeon Joseph Lister was a pioneer of antiseptic medicine usage and made a huge contribution to the development of preventive medicine for bacterial infection. His achievements have been honored by many, such as the makers of Listerine antiseptic and mouthwash, who named their product after him.

Jyotiba Phule was an Indian thinker, social activist, writer, and anti-caste social reformer. During his lifetime, he worked towards eradicating the caste system and untouchability in India. He was also a pioneer of women education in India and began his first school for girls in Pune in 1848. B. R. Ambedkar had often cited Jyotiba Phule as an inspiration.

Best known for his iconic medical textbook Gray's Anatomy, surgeon Henry Gray, who was a skilled anatomist, was made a Fellow of The Royal Society at the tender age of 25. His untimely death at 34 due to small pox, while treating his nephew, cheated him of an illustrious career.

Francisco Solano López was a Paraguayan politician who served as the president of Paraguay from 1862 to 1870. Before becoming a leader, López played an important role in the Platine Wars where he fought against Juan Manuel de Rosas, serving in the Paraguayan Army. A controversial figure, Solano López is sometimes held responsible for the outbreak of the Paraguayan War. 

Johanna Spyri made a significant contribution to children’s literature with her novel Heidi. After the death of her husband and her child, the Swiss author focused on charitable causes. A professor later claimed Heidi had been plagiarized by Spyri, though later studies proved the claim was baseless.

Though born to a silk trader, Arnold Böcklin ditched his family business and deviated toward art instead. Initially part of the Düsseldorf school of painting, the Symbolist painter later found inspiration in Rome and infused mythological elements in his art. Isle of the Dead and Pan in the Bulrushes remain his best-known works.

William Burges was a British architect and designer best remembered for building castles like Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. Apart from designing castles, churches, and houses, William Burges also designed sculptures, metalwork, furniture, jewelry, and stained glass.

Architect Richard Morris Hunt is largely credited with bringing in the French Beaux-Arts style to the U.S. He was also a major force behind the formation of the American Institute of Architects. His creations include the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s façade and the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal.

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux was a French painter and sculptor who worked during Napoleon III's reign. Impressed by his early works, which included a bust of Princess Mathilde, Napoleon III commissioned several works to Carpeaux which established his reputation as an important sculptor. Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux is credited with mentoring future sculptors like Olin Levi Warner and Jules Dalou.

Born to a doctor in Paris, Marcellin Berthelot was an intelligent student in his younger days and excelled in history and philosophy before gaining an interest in chemistry. Best known for proposing the Thomsen–Berthelot principle of thermochemistry, he was one of the “Forty Immortals” of the French Academy.

Annie Turner Wittenmyer is remembered for his association with the temperance movement and for supplying medical aid and food to soldiers during the Civil War. Widowed in her youth, she devoted her entire life to relief work and even headed the Iowa State Sanitary Commission.

The 1st president of Brazil, Deodoro da Fonseca led a coup that ousted Emperor Pedro II. Born to an army officer, he grew up to be an army officer and fought valiantly in campaigns such as the Paraguayan War. However, as a president, he proved to be ineffective and was later forced to resign.

Octave Crémazie was a French-Canadian bookseller and poet who played a major role in Quebec's cultural development. Often referred to as the father of French Canadian poetry, Crémazie is best remembered for his patriotic verse. Octave Crémazie is credited with founding an organization called Institut canadien, which aimed at promoting French-Canadian culture.

Antonio Borrero was an Ecuadorian political figure, journalist, and writer. He is best remembered for his service as the President of Ecuador from 1875 to 1876. A prominent politician, Borrero also served as Ecuador's Vice President from 1863 to 1864. Antonio Borrero's administration encouraged press freedom, free suffrage, and individual rights. 

Francis A. Pratt spent his early days as an apprentice at a machine shop. He later met Amos Whitney, with whom he set up the manufacturing firm Pratt & Whitney. Apart from developing the Lincoln miller, Pratt also contributed to inventing machine parts for sewing machines, guns, and other industries.

Petko Slaveykov was a Bulgarian poet, folklorist, publicist, and politician. A multi-talented personality, Slaveykov also worked as a journalist, translator, and philologist. He also left his mark on various fields of study such as history, geography, and biography. Petko Slaveykov is considered the pioneer of Bulgarian children's literature and is credited with authoring several textbooks.

Italian explorer Carlo Piaggia is best known for his exploration of Lake Kyoga in Uganda and the upper Nile River system. Though he belonged to a poor family and had very little formal education, his thirst for knowledge led him to learn about the geography and natural history of African nations.

Irish-born nun Julia McGroarty later moved to the US and became one of its leading educators. Part of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, she was the first American to be the superior of the order. She also established Washington’s Trinity College, which later became the Trinity Washington University.

Anthimus VII/Anthimus VII Tsatsos was the Ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople for two years between 1895 and 1896. He is known for his criticism of the papal encyclical Praeclara Gratulationis (of Roman Pope Leo XIII) which called for the reunion of Eastern and Western churches. He was also a theologian, an orator and a critic of the Roman Catholic Church.