Famous People Who Died In 1876

George Armstrong Custer was a US Army officer. He played an important role as a cavalry commander in the American Indian Wars and the American Civil War. His death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, went on to become a well-known episode of the American Indian Wars.

Regarded by many as the first female sociologist, Harriet Martineau was a prominent 19th-century social theorist, classical economist, and intellectual who penned the iconic work The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte. She was partially deaf and had lost her sense of taste and smell in childhood.

Mikhail Bakunin was a Russian socialist and anarchist. He is credited with founding an anarchist school of thought called collectivist anarchism. Regarded as one of the most influential personalities of anarchism, Mikhail Bakunin has had a major influence on thinkers like Peter Kropotkin, Herbert Marcuse, Errico Malatesta, Neil Postman, E. P. Thompson, and A. S. Neill.    

Hristo Botev was a Bulgarian poet and revolutionary. Widely regarded as a national hero by Bulgarians, Botev was thought to be ahead of his peers in his aesthetic, philosophical, and political views. An influential and important figure in the history of Bulgaria, Botev has several monuments, schools, football clubs, and stadiums named after him.

Scottish-Irish businessman Alexander Turney Stewart initially aspired to be a Presbyterian minister, before deviating to teaching and then eventually stepping into business. He began with trading textile and then launched a dry goods business, A. T. Stewart & Company, in New York, which he later expanded into an empire.

Karl Ernst von Baer was a Baltic German explorer and scientist. A multi-talented personality, Baer was also a biologist, naturalist, geologist, geographer, and meteorologist. He is also regarded as the founding father of embryology. One of the founders of the Russian Geographical Society, Karl Ernst von Baer also served as the maiden president of the Russian Entomological Society.

Philipp Mainlander was unfortunately born out of marital rape and was later forced by his father to train to be a merchant. However, while working in Italy, he devoted himself to writing. His works include the iconic The Philosophy of Redemption. He eventually committed suicide by hanging.

Aleksander Fredro was a Polish poet, author, and playwright. Although his works were harshly criticized by his contemporaries, Fredro's works, especially his plays, were published extensively and popularized after his death. Many of his works have been translated into several languages including English, German, French, Russian, Hungarian, and Czech.

American theological and philosophical writer Orestes Brownson had been through massive religious confusion in his early days, when he switched from Presbyterianism, to Universalism, to Unitarianism, before finally converting to Catholicism. His writings include The Convert and The American Republic. He also wrote extensively on Transcendentalism.

Orphaned at age 10, Barbizon school painter Narcisse Virgilio Díaz also lost one of his legs to a reptile bite. Raised by a Protestant minister, he initially worked in a porcelain factory. Later, a regular at the Paris Salon, he created masterpieces depicting landscapes, gypsies, and musicians.

Austrian poet Anton Alexander von Auersperg is best known by his pseudonym, Anastasius Grun. His collection of poems, such as Schutt, ushered in a new and bold liberalism in Germany. His work also showcases his signature ironic humor. Grun was also known for his translations of Slovenic songs.

Elizabeth Greenfield was an American singer best remembered for her performances of music composed by Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and George Frideric Handel. Nicknamed The Black Swan, Elizabeth Greenfield is regarded as the most popular black concert artist of her generation. Among her pupils was Thomas Bowers, who went on to become a famous concert artist.

Italian operatic baritone Antonio Tamburini was born to a bandmaster father and was trained in music since childhood. He was 18 when he made his debut with La contessa di colle erbose. After gaining fame with his performances in Italy and Britain, he spent the final years of his career in Russia.

João Carlos de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun, 1st Duke of Saldanha was a Portuguese statesman and marshal. From 1820 until his death in 1876, Saldanha was one of the most influential personalities of politics and war in Portugal. He also played an important role in the Liberal Wars and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1825.

Sidney Rigdon was a leading figure of the Latter Day Saint movement during its early history. He became a member of the Peter's Creek Baptist Church of Library following his baptism. He was close friends with Adamson Bentley, with who he jointly preached for years. Besides preaching, he also worked as a journeyman tanner.

Antonio López de Santa Anna was a Mexican general and politician. His significant contribution in post-independence Mexican politics during the first half of the 19th century has led historians to refer to this period as the Age of Santa Anna. Santa Anna was played by Joaquim de Almeida in a deleted scene in the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro.

Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg was a German zoologist, naturalist, geologist, microscopist, and comparative anatomist. Regarded as one of the most popular and productive scientists of his generation, Ehrenberg was honored with several prestigious awards including the first Leeuwenhoek Medal in 1877.

The 32nd sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Abdülâziz was the son of Mahmud II. An admirer of Western ways, he became the first sultan to travel to Western Europe. He was also a talented composer. He was deposed and died of suicide a few days later, though many believe he was assassinated.

German missionary Johannes Rebmann became the first person to explore Africa from the continent’s Indian Ocean coast and also the first European to discover Mt. Kilimanjaro. Along with his associate Johann Ludwig Krapf, he also stumbled upon Mt. Kenya. His diary later revealed a lot about his experiences in Africa.

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.

While studying the salt waters of the Mediterranean, Antoine Jérôme Balard made a chance discovery of bromine, though Carl Jacob Löwig had discovered the element independently a year earlier. The French chemist also taught chemistry at the Sorbonne. Renowned chemist Louis Pasteur was one of his students.