Famous People Who Died In 1874

Chang Bunker was a Siamese-American man and one-half of the popular conjoined twin brothers. Chang and his conjoined twin Eng were two of the most studied human beings during the 19th century. They toured the United States and Europe as part of their freak shows, gaining financial success and fame. They are credited with coining the colloquial term Siamese twins.

Legendary Apache leader Cochise  led the Native Americans against the Whites, thwarting colonial intrusion in the U.S. Southwest, in the 1860s, especially in the Battle of Apache Pass. He has been immortalized through films such as Broken Arrow, while Cochise County in Arizona has been named after him.

Charles Sumner was an American statesman, academic lawyer, and orator. As the leader of the anti-slavery forces in Massachusetts, Sumner played a major role during the American Civil War. He also played a crucial role during the Reconstruction era, seeking equal rights to the freedmen.

Jules Michelet was a French author and historian best remembered for his work on the history and culture of France. Jules Michelet is credited with defining the term renaissance, which was originally used by Italian historian and painter Giorgio Vasari in 1550. The term is currently used to identify the period that followed the Middle Ages in Europe's cultural history.

Belgian mathematician and astronomer Adolphe Quetelet was the first to introduce the use of statistics and probability theory in social sciences. He also pioneered anthropometry and introduced the BMI scale. He also conducted research on the measurement of the traits found in the average man.

Although best remembered for his discovery of the world's oldest handwritten Bible, known as Codex Sinaiticus or Sinai Bible, Konstantin Von Tischendorf, a renowned Biblical scholar, worked chiefly on recension of the New Testament text. A prolific writer making extensive contributions to biblical textual criticism, he is today best known for his magnum opus, Critical Edition of the New Testament.

Protestant theologian David Strauss was 12 when he joined a seminary to study theology. Known for his works such as Das Leben Jesu, or The Life of Jesus Critically Examined, he criticized the Gospels and the miracles associated with Christ, thus inspiring future studies on the historical Jesus.

Anders Jonas Ångström was a Swedish physicist best remembered for co-founding the science of spectroscopy. He is also renowned for his studies of terrestrial magnetism, astrophysics, heat transfer, and the aurora borealis. In 1850, Anders Jonas Ångström was made a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.  

Serbian statesman and 2-time prime minister of Serbia, Ilija Garašanin initially served as a colonel and commander of the army. The son of Serbian revolutionary Milutin Savić, he supported Prince Miloš Obrenović in his early days but later helped Prince Alexander Karadjordjević come to power.

Born into the musical family of a composer father and a pianist/singer mother, Johann Friedrich Franz Burgmuller was no stranger to music in childhood. A talented cellist, too, the German Romantic composer later settled in Paris, where he composed everything from piano pieces to waltzes and ballets.

Orphaned at 19, he Johann Heinrich von Mädler initially taught to earn a living. Best known for his map of the Moon, Mappa Selenographica, which he co-created with Wilhelm Beer, he later served as the director of the Dorpat Observatory. He also studied double stars and held lectures on astronomy.

Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin was a French politician best remembered as the leader of the working-class men. He was one of the most important politicians whose deeds and speeches led to the French Revolution of 1848, which is considered one of the most prominent events in the history of France. A Paris Metro station and an avenue are named after him.

Charles Tilstone Beke was an English geographer, traveler, and Biblical critic. He is best remembered for his book Origines Biblicae or Researches in Primeval History, which attempts to recreate mankind's early history with the help of geological data. Although the book did not impress religious leaders and supporters of the Book of Genesis, Beke's work was appreciated by many scholars.

André Henri Constant van Hasselt was a Dutch-Belgian poet and writer who wrote predominantly in French. His first book of poems, Primevères, is widely regarded as the first prominent collection of poems in the history of modern Belgium. Interestingly, Primevères is also considered an awkwardly written work. 

Gerrit Smith was an American social reformer, politician, abolitionist, and philanthropist. Although he was a prominent candidate for President of the USA in 1848, 1856, and 1860, Smith served only 18 months in the federal government. Throughout his life, he was a major financial contributor to the Republican Party and the Liberty Party.

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes was a Cuban revolutionary who declared Cuban independence and became the first president of Cuba in 1868. His actions started the famous Ten Years' War, the first of three wars that led to the independence of Cuba in 1902. Since Carlos' actions led to Cuba's independence, he is referred to as the Father of the Fatherland.

François Guizot was a French historian and statesman. He was a key figure in French politics in the years leading to the Revolution of 1848. After serving under the "citizen king" Louis Philippe in several roles, he was made the Prime Minister of France in 1847. He played a critical role in expanding public education. 

William Fairbairn is remembered for his pioneering use of wrought iron for building bridges, ship hulls, and beams. Apart from inventing the Lancashire boiler, he also served as the president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He also introduced proper and systematic investigations of the collapse of structures.

Abraham Geiger was a German rabbi and scholar credited to be the founding father of Reform Judaism. He emphasized Judaism’s constant evolution over the years and sought to reformulate the tenets of the religion to make it compliant with contemporary times. He was responsible for much of the reform doctrine of the mid-19th century. 

John Edgar Thomson was an American industrialist and civil engineer best remembered for his headship of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1852 to 1874. Thomson is credited with making the railroad the world's largest business enterprise and a fine model for managerial and technological innovation. In 1975, he was made an inductee of the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.

Max Schultze was a German microscopic anatomist best remembered for his work concerning cell theory. He is credited with coining many botanical names and the author abbreviation M.Schultze is generally used to indicate Max Schultze as the author when citing a named coined by him.

Born to a goldsmith, Peter Andreas Hansen had initially learned the art of watchmaking. However, his skills as an astronomer eventually earned him the post of the director of the Seeberg Observatory near Gotha. His best-known works are related to optics, probability theory, and the motion of the Moon.