Famous People Born In 1817

Henry David Thoreau was an American philosopher, essayist, poet, and naturalist. He is credited with popularizing transcendentalism and simple living. His philosophy of civil disobedience, which was detailed in his essay of the same name, later influenced world-renowned personalities like Leo Tolstoy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi.

Jung Bahadur Rana is credited with founding the famous Rana dynasty in Nepal. One of the most prominent figures in the history of Nepal, Rana took control of the government of Nepal in 1846 and became the country's prime minister. The last few days of his life inspired the 2015 Nepali historical film, Seto Bagh.

William III of the Netherlands was the king of the Netherlands for four decades from 1849 to 1890. The son of King William II and Anna Pavlovna of Russia, he ascended to the throne after the death of his father. The king’s behavior was often erratic, and it is speculated he suffered from a mental disorder.

Remembered for his awe-inspiring marine art, Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky was the son of an Armenian merchant. His 60-year career had seen him produce around 6,000 works, most of which were seascapes. He had been the Russian navy’s official painter and inspired Anton Chekhov’s phrase worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush.

Louise of Hesse-Kassel was the Queen consort of Denmark from 1863 until her demise in 1898. Although she did not take an active part in state affairs, Louise's intelligence, psychological strength, and judgment were of prime importance as King Christian IX was dependent on these qualities of his wife. She also supported 26 different charitable organizations during her reign.

Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy was the second cousin of Leo Tolstoy and a gifted poet, playwright, novelist, and satirist, who often made use of historical themes. His iconic trilogy of historical dramas, consisting of The Death of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, and Tsar Boris, was widely acclaimed.

George Frederic Watts was a British painter best remembered for his association with the Symbolist movement. Watts achieved fame for his allegorical works like Love and Life and Hope. In addition to being a painter, George Frederic Watts was also a sculptor. He is credited with sculpting the famous Physical Energy statue at Rhodes Memorial in South Africa.

British botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker is remembered as one of Charles Darwin’s greatest supporters. The man who is known as the pioneer of geographical botany, Hooker followed in the footsteps of his botanist father. The Copley Medal winner is also known for his iconic work Genera Plantarum.

Mihail Kogălniceanu was a Romanian statesman, historian, lawyer, and publicist. He is best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Romania from 11 October 1863 to 26 January 1865. He was also a two-time Foreign Affairs Minister and four-time Internal Affairs Minister of Romania. Mihail Kogălniceanu was also one of the most influential intellectuals of his generation.

One of the most influential 19th-century classicists, Theodor Mommsen donned many hats and was at the same time a historian, a philologist, a legal scholar, and an archaeologist. His legendary A History of Rome won him a Nobel Prize in Literature. He had also fathered 16 children.

Mary Ann Bickerdyke was an American medical worker who played an important role during the American Civil War, serving as a hospital administrator for Union soldiers. She is also credited with setting up 300 field hospitals during the war. A lifelong advocate for veterans, Mary Bickerdyke also served as a lawyer and assisted veterans to obtain pensions after the war.

Civil engineer Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet is best remembered for constructing the London Metropolitan Railway and for co-constructing Scotland’s Forth Bridge. He had also worked in Egypt and was the youngest to serve as the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers. His works also included locomotives and hydro-electric schemes.

Hungarian poet Janos Arany is regarded by many as the Shakespeare of ballads. Best known for his iconic epic poem Toldi, which was part of a trilogy, he had also been associated with the Hungarian Academy. He had initially been part of the Hungarian Revolution and later also taught for a while.

Proving himself to be a brilliant classical scholar in school, Benjamin Jowett gained a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, where he was eventually elected a master and vice-chancellor. The 19th-century academic and Anglican theologian is remembered for his translation of The Dialogues of Plato and other classical texts.

Civil and railroad engineer Herman Haupt is best remembered for constructing the Hoosac Tunnel in Massachusetts. After losing his father at 12, he worked part-time to pay for his education and later joined the Military Academy. One of his best-known works is General Theory of Bridge Construction.

Christian Johansson was a ballet teacher and choreographer. He is best remembered for working at the Imperial Russian Ballet where he served as a ballet master. Johansson is widely regarded as one of the most prominent teachers in the history of Russian ballet. Christian Johansson is credited with influencing a generation of ballet dancers.

A nationalist poet and playwright, José Zorrilla was a major figure of the Spanish Romantic movement. Though he initially studied law, he later switched to literature. He is remembered for his verse legend collection Cantos del trovador and his iconic play Don Juan Tenorio.

Tom Taylor was an English biographer, dramatist, critic, and public servant. He also contributed as an editor for the popular British weekly magazine, Punch. His best-known playwright work Our American Cousin has gained historical significance as Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 while watching this particular play.

Giovanni Dupré was a 19th-century Italian sculptor considered one of the best of his era. He began his career working in his father’s workshop. In his early career, he also created many fakes of Renaissance sculptures. He earned much respect over the years and took many pupils. His daughter Amalia followed in his footsteps.   

While he initially studied medicine, Carl Nägeli later became a major figure in botany. Associated with the universities of Zürich, Freiburg, and Munich, he made extraordinary contributions to the study of plant cells. He also introduced the concept of meristematic tissue, associated with cell division in plants.

Polish poet and folklorist Ryszard Wincenty Berwiński is best known for his iconic works such as Studies in Folk Literature and the socially relevant volume Poezje. He was a Prussian parliament delegate. Part of the Polish forces in Crimean War, he later also served the Turkish military.

Born to a pastor, Charles-Adolphe Wurtz surprisingly studied medicine instead of theology. He later taught chemistry and became the first to chair the organic chemistry department at the Sorbonne. He is best remembered for his pathbreaking research on glycols and the synthesis of many significant compounds.