Famous People Born In 1866

Discover the most famous people born in 1866. The list includes people like Wassily Kandinsky, Erik Satie, Beatrix Potter, Anne Sullivan, George Gurdjieff and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include soldiers, political leaders, novelists and philosophers born in 1866. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, France & Germany and many more countries.
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 1 
H. G. Wells
(British Author Who Has Been Called the 'Father of Science Fiction')
H. G. Wells
28
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 21st September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kent, England, United Kingdom
Died: August 13, 1946

H. G. Wells was an English writer. Although he was prolific in many genres, he is best remembered for his work on sci-fi novels, for which he is often referred to as the father of science fiction. His 1901 novel The First Men in the Moon became so influential that a lunar impact crater is named after him.

 2 
Beatrix Potter
13
Birthdate: 28th July
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Kensington
Died: December 22, 1943
Born into an affluent English family, Beatrix Potter grew up amidst nature and developed a love for animals. She grew up to be a natural scientist, conservationist, and illustrator, and is best remembered for her children's books such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which featured animals.
 3 
Wassily Kandinsky
(Russian Painter, Art Theorist and a Pioneer in Abstract Art)
Wassily Kandinsky
11
Birthdate: 16th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: December 13, 1944
Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky is considered the pioneer of abstract art. Known for notable works such as On White II and Study for Improvisation, he was a prominent artist of the Blue Rider Period and experimented with expressionism. He also earned a professorship at the University of Dorpat
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 4 
Anne Sullivan
(Educator)
Anne Sullivan
20
Listed In: Educators
Birthdate: 14th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Agawam, Massachusetts, United States
Died: October 20, 1936
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 5 
Erik Satie
(French Composer and Pianist Known for His Work ‘Gymnopédies’)
Erik Satie
11
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 17th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Honfleur, France
Died: July 1, 1925

Erik Satie was a French pianist and composer. An influential artist during his time, Satie's works served as a predecessor to later artistic movements like repetitive music, minimalism, and the Theatre of the Absurd. Apart from being a musician, Erik Satie was also a prolific writer, who contributed to publications, such as Vanity Fair and 391.

 6 
Sun Yat-Sen
(Provisional President of the Republic of China (January - March 1912))
Sun Yat-Sen
33
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 12th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cuiheng, Zhongshan, China
Died: March 12, 1925
Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen, also known as the "Father of the Nation" in China, ousted the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He was the first leader of the Nationalist Party of China and laid down the Three Principles of the People, which included nationalism, democracy, and livelihood.
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 7 
Matthew Henson
(African American Explorer Who Accompanied Robert E. Peary on Most of His Expeditions)
Matthew Henson
19
Listed In: Explorers
Birthdate: 8th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nanjemoy, Maryland, United States
Died: March 9, 1955

Orphaned, Matthew Henson began his journey as a cabin boy at age 12 and was later hired by Robert E. Peary as an attendant for his expeditions. He, along with Peary and 4 Inuit, were the first men to set foot on North Pole. The African-American explorer later won a Congressional Medal.

 8 
George Gurdjieff
(Russian Philosopher and Spiritual Teacher Known for His Work ‘All and Everything’)
George Gurdjieff
6
Listed In: Philosophers
Birthdate: 30th November
Birthplace: Gyumri, Armenia
Died: October 29, 1949

Born to a poet and carpenter, George Gurdjieff grew up reading a lot of science books in his hometown, Kars. He later laid down the concept of The Fourth Way, stating that humans can overcome their state of waking sleep through methods involving a combination of music, dance, and lectures.

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 9 
Ramsay MacDonald
(Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
Ramsay MacDonald
3
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 12th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lossiemouth
Died: November 9, 1937
 10 
Thomas Hunt Morgan
(Geneticist)
Thomas Hunt Morgan
5
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 25th September
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lexington
Died: December 4, 1945

Thomas Hunt Morgan was an evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and embryologist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933. He worked extensively on the role that the chromosome plays in heredity and demonstrated that genes are carried on chromosomes. In his later career, he established the division of biology at the California Institute of Technology. 

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 11 
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
(American Jurist and 1st Commissioner of Baseball (1920 - 1944))
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
4
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: 20th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Millville, Ohio, United States
Died: November 25, 1944

The son of a Union soldier, Kenesaw Mountain Landis was successful US federal judge. He was also the first Commissioner of Baseball and is remembered for his role in the Black Sox scandal, in which he removed eight Chicago White Sox players for deliberately losing the 1919 World Series.

 12 
Giovanni Agnelli
(Italian Businessman and Founder of 'Fiat')
Giovanni Agnelli
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 13th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Villar Perosa
Died: December 16, 1945
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 13 
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia
(Russian Naval Officer and Archaeological Explorer)
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 13th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Tbilisi, Georgia
Died: February 26, 1933

Russian naval officer and explorer Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich was the brother-in-law of the last emperor of Russia, Emperor Nicholas II. He played a significant role in the development of Russian military aviation during WWI. He spent his later life in exile in Paris and conducted many archaeological expeditions.

 14 
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(Indian Political Leader and a Social Reformer During the Indian Independence Movement)
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
8
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 9th May
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kothluk, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
Died: February 19, 1915
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George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon
4
Listed In: Archaeologists
Birthdate: 26th June
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hampshire, England
Died: April 5, 1923
 16 
Maud Gonne
(English-born Irish Republican Revolutionary, Suffragette & Actress)
Maud Gonne
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 21st December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tongham, England
Died: April 27, 1953

Maud Gonne not just co-founded the Sinn Féin party but also participated in the theater movement of W.B Yeats, who made her his muse and proposed to her many times, only to be rejected. An Irish nationalist, she also formed the Daughters of Ireland and acted in Yeats’s first play Cathleen ni Houlihan.

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 17 
La Goulue
(Dancer)
La Goulue
0
Birthdate: 12th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Died: January 29, 1929

La Goulue was a French can-can dancer who became a favorite subject for painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec at the peak of her popularity. Dubbed the Queen of Montmartre, Goulue is remembered for performing at the Moulin Rouge near Montmartre where she was a star. After parting ways with Moulin Rouge, she lost a considerable amount of money and died poor.

 18 
Mary Anderson
(inventor)
Mary Anderson
2
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 19th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Greene County
Died: June 27, 1953

Mary Anderson was a real estate developer, rancher, and inventor. She is best known for inventing the windshield wiper blade. She received her first patent for an automatic car window cleaning device controlled from inside the car in 1903. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011, more than half a century after her death.  

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 19 
Princess Viktoria of Prussia
(Politician)
Princess Viktoria of Prussia
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 12th April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New Palace, Potsdam, Germany
Died: November 13, 1929
 20 
Lev Shestov
(Former existentialist and religious philosopher best known for his critiques of both philosophic rationalism and scientism)
Lev Shestov
1
Listed In: Philosophers
Birthdate: 12th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kyiv, Ukraine
Died: November 19, 1938
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 21 
Billy Hamilton
(Baseball player)
Billy Hamilton
2
Listed In: Baseball Players
Birthdate: 16th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: December 15, 1940
 22 
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden
(Canadian-born American Inventor)
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden
1
Listed In: Inventors
Birthdate: 6th October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: East Bolton, Canada
Died: July 22, 1932
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 23 
Léon Bakst
(Painter)
Léon Bakst
1
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 27th January
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Grodno, Belarus
Died: December 28, 1924

Léon Bakst was a Russian painter, costume designer, and scene designer of Belarusian origin. He worked closely with the Ballets Russes, where he designed richly colored, exotic costumes and sets. His best-known works include productions like Daphnis and Chloe, Spectre de la rose, and The Sleeping Princess. In 1914, he was made a member of the Russian Academy of Arts.  

 24 
Kuroda Seiki
(Painter)
Kuroda Seiki
1
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 9th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Kagoshima
Died: July 15, 1924
An aristocrat, Kuroda Seiki was sent to Paris by his father to study law but began studying painting soon after. His nudes Sentiment, Impression, and Wisdom mingled Japanese and Western art. His best-known painting, Lakeside, depicts his wife, Teruko, dressed in a kimono and sitting by a lake in Hakone.
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 25 
Benedetto Croce
(Philosopher, Politician, Art historian, Writer, Literary critic)
Benedetto Croce
2
Listed In: Philosophers
Birthdate: 25th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Pescasseroli
Died: November 20, 1952
 26 
Ferruccio Busoni
(Italian Composer, Pianist and Conductor Known for His Works ‘Arlecchino’ and ‘Doktor Faust’)
Ferruccio Busoni
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: 1st April
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Empoli, Italy
Died: July 27, 1924

Born to musician parents in Italy, Ferruccio Busoni was a child prodigy, having begun composing at the age of 7. He grew up to be a piano professor in Finland, and his work later took him to Moscow and the U.S. He is remembered for his opera and chamber pieces.

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 27 
Alfred Werner
(Chemist)
Alfred Werner
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: 12th December
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France
Died: November 15, 1919

Alfred Werner was a Swiss chemist who is credited with developing the fundamental for modern coordination chemistry. In 1913, he became the first inorganic chemist to receive the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which he won for proposing the correct configuration of transition metal complexes.

 28 
Herbert Henry Dow
(American Chemical Industrialist and Founder of the Multinational Conglomerate 'Dow Chemical')
Herbert Henry Dow
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: 26th February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Belleville, Canada
Died: October 15, 1930

Herbert Henry Dow taught chemistry before venturing into a business career. Though his first company was a failure, his work impressed investors, and he was soon able to establish Dow Chemical, which supplied low-cost bromine to the US markets. He later made auto pistons out of spare magnesium.

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 29 
Hiram Johnson
(Former Governor of California)
Hiram Johnson
0
Birthdate: 2nd September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Sacramento, California, U.S
Died: August 6, 1945
 30 
Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine
(Princess of Hesse and by Rhine Who Became the Princess of Prussia by Marriage to Prince Henry)
Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine
17
Birthdate: 11th July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: New Palace, Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire
Died: November 11, 1953

The third daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice of the UK, Princess Irene lost 2 of her sisters, Ella and Alix, to the Bolsheviks. She and her husband, Prince Henry of Prussia, were named The Very Amiables, because of their polite nature.

 31 
Emilio De Bono
(Politician, Officer)
Emilio De Bono
0
Listed In: Soldiers
Birthdate: 19th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Cassano d'Adda
Died: January 11, 1944
 32 
Abraham Flexner
(Educator)
Abraham Flexner
1
Listed In: Educators
Birthdate: 13th November
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Died: September 21, 1959
 33 
Elizabeth von Arnim
(Novelist)
Elizabeth von Arnim
0
Listed In: Novelists
Birthdate: 31st August
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kirribilli Point, Australia
Died: February 9, 1941
 34 
Pierce Butler
(Jurist)
Pierce Butler
1
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: 17th March
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Dakota County, Minnesota, United States
Died: November 16, 1939
 35 
Ambroise Vollard
(Art Dealer)
Ambroise Vollard
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 3rd July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Saint-Denis, Réunion
Died: July 22, 1939
 36 
Vasily Kalinnikov
(Composer)
Vasily Kalinnikov
2
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 13th January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Russia
Died: January 11, 1901
 37 
Henry Bacon
(Architect)
Henry Bacon
0
Birthdate: 28th November
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Watseka, Illinois, United States
Died: February 16, 1924

Henry Bacon was a Beaux-Arts architect best remembered for designing the iconic Lincoln Memorial. In May 1923, he became only the sixth person to be honored with the prestigious AIA Gold Medal for his achievements. From 1921 to 1924, Henry Bacon also served as one of the most prominent members of the US Commission of Fine Arts.

 38 
Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera
(Duke)
Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera
1
Birthdate: 23rd February
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Seville, Spain
Died: December 24, 1930
 39 
Ilya Tolstoy
(Writer)
Ilya Tolstoy
1
Birthdate: 22nd May
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Yasnaya Polyana, Yasnaya Polyana, Russia
Died: December 11, 1933
 40 
Karl Fazer
(Finnish Confectioner and Businessman, Who Was Also a Sharp Shooter and an Olympian)
Karl Fazer
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: 16th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland
Died: October 9, 1932

Initially a businessman, who redefined the confectionery and chocolate industry of Finland and led to the development of the innovative chocolate brand Fazer Blue, Karl Fazer was also a talented sport shooter. He was part of the Finnish shooting team at the 1912 Olympic games. He also established several natural parks.

 41 
Johann Strauss III
(Composer)
Johann Strauss III
0
Listed In: Composers
Birthdate: 16th February
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: January 9, 1939
 42 
Draga Masin
(Consort)
Draga Masin
3
Birthdate: 11th September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
Died: June 11, 1903
 43 
Gilbert Murray
(British Author Best Known for His Verse Translations of Greek Drama)
Gilbert Murray
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 2nd January
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
Died: May 20, 1957

Gilbert Murray was an Australian-born British intellectual and scholar who specialized in the culture and language of Ancient Greece. A well-known humanist, Murray served as the president of Humanists UK from 1929 to 1930. Gilbert Murray also played an important role in the establishment of Oxfam as well as the Institute of World Affairs.

 44 
Adrien de Gerlache
(Belgian Officer in the Belgian Royal Navy Who Led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99)
Adrien de Gerlache
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: 2nd August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Hasselt, Belgium
Died: December 4, 1934

Adrien de Gerlache was a Belgian Royal Navy officer best remembered for leading the famous Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99. It was the first winter expedition to the Antarctic region and is also considered the maiden voyage of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Several geographical features like Mount Gerlache and Cape Gerlache have been named in his honor.

 45 
E. Phillips Oppenheim
(Author)
E. Phillips Oppenheim
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 22nd October
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: London, England
Died: February 3, 1946
 46 
Jacinto Benavente
(One of the Foremost Spanish Dramatists of the 20th Century)
Jacinto Benavente
5
Listed In: Playwrights
Birthdate: 12th August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Died: July 14, 1954

Jacinto Benavente was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. The son of a popular pediatrician, he developed an early interest in literature but was expected to pursue a more conventional professional. He began studying law but abandoned it to become a dramatist. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922. 

 47 
Dmitry Merezhkovsky
(Russian Novelist and Poet)
Dmitry Merezhkovsky
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 2nd August
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: December 7, 1941
 48 
Hans von Seeckt
(Politician, Officer)
Hans von Seeckt
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 22nd April
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Schleswig
Died: December 27, 1936

Hans von Seeckt was a German military officer. He played an important role in the First World War where he was a key figure in planning the victories achieved by August von Mackensen during World War I.

 49 
Carlos Schwabe
(Painter)
Carlos Schwabe
0
Listed In: Artists
Birthdate: 21st July
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Altona, Hamburg, Germany
Died: January 22, 1926
 50 
Charles Nicolle
(Bacteriologist)
Charles Nicolle
1
Listed In: Bacteriologists
Birthdate: 21st September
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rouen, France
Died: February 28, 1936