Famous People Who Died In 1858

Remembered for her heroics against the British, the Indian Joan of Arc Rani Lakshmibai remains an icon of the 1857 Indian Rebellion. The wife of Maharaja Gangadhar Rao, she is known for leading the fight against the British after her husband’s death. She also inspired the legendary lines Khoob Ladi Mardani.

Best known as the father of modern epidemiology, British doctor John Snow revolutionized medical science with his study of London’s Broad Street cholera outbreak of 1854. His research contributed to the development of London’s sewage and water systems and led to the reduction in cholera cases.

Copley Medal-winning Scottish botanist Robert Brown is remembered for his detailed descriptions on topics such as the cell nuclei and what later came to be known as the Brownian motion. After studying medicine, he had also served the British Army as a surgeon and also toured the Australian shores aboard The Investigator.

Joseph Radetzky von Radetz had almost become a national hero in Austria for his military successes. Known as Vater, or Father Radetzky, in the army circle, the field marshal had also served as the Habsburg Empire’s chief of the general staff. One of his iconic victories was at the Battle of Custoza.  

Best known for his landscape series like The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, Hiroshige was a well-known ukiyo-e master, whose death marked the decline of this genre of art.  His works, which were generally characterized by subtle use of graded colors and multiple impressions, were source of inspiration to many 19-century European painters.

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.

Johann Baptist Cramer was an English pianist, music publisher, and composer of German origin. The son of Wilhelm Cramer, Johann studied under Muzio Clementi and went on to become one of the greatest pianists of his time. Renowned for its technical perfection, Johann Cramer's playing style earned praises from popular pianists around the world, including Ludwig van Beethoven.

Italian opera singer Luigi Lablache is remembered for his performance as Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Admired for his bass voice, he had a successful career in London and Paris, too, playing Geronimo in Il matrimonio segreto. He married fellow singer Teresa Pinotti, and many of his children too were singers.

Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov was a Russian painter. He is best remembered for his work The Appearance of Christ Before the People which took him 20 years to complete, earning him the nickname master of one work. Over the course of his career, Ivanov also produced other popular works like the Last supper that are preserved at the State Russian Museum.

French engineer Henry Darcy had a difficult childhood, having lost his father at 14. Raised by his mother, he later joined the École Polytechnique. He proposed Darcy’s law, which explains the flow of fluids in porous media. He also designed the water supply system of Dijon, his native city.

José de la Riva Agüero was a Peruvian politician, soldier, and historian. He is best remembered for his service as the first President of Peru from 28 February 1823 to 23 June 1823. An important politician, José de la Riva Agüero also served as the second President of North Peru from 1 August 1838 to 24 January 1839.

British financier and economist Thomas Tooke had begun his business career at the tender age of 15. He eventually ended up being the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation governor. Known for his support of free trade, he advocated for the gold standard initially but opposed the 1844 Bank Charter Act.

A Swedish chemist, Carl Gustaf Mosander is recognised for discovering rare earth element - lanthanum, erbium and terbium. He worked a lot with well-known Swedish chemist J. J. Berzelius as his assistant, became a curator of minerals at the Stockholm Academy of Sciences and later also worked as a professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy in the Karolinska Institute.

Keying, or Qiying, was a Manchu statesman of the Qing dynasty. He had been the viceroy of Liangguang and the minister of personnel, revenue, and other departments. After leaving the negotiations regarding the Arrow War with the British midway, he was forced to commit suicide by the imperial court.