Famous People Who Died In 1896

Discover the most famous people died who died in the year 1896. This list includes people like Alfred Nobel, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Morris, Jose Rizal, Anton Bruckner and many more. This list of celebrities is loosely sorted by popularity. People featured on this list, include composers, poets, inventors and political leaders who died in 1896. This list includes people from United States, Germany, France & United Kingdom and many more countries.
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 1 
Jose Rizal
(Filipino Nationalist and Writer Who is Considered One of the Greatest Heroes of the Philippines)
Jose Rizal
39
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 19, 1861
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Calamba, Laguna
Died: December 30

Jose Rizal was a Filipino polymath and nationalist. An ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal turned towards writing and inspired the Philippine Revolution through his writings. The revolution eventually led to Philippine independence and Rizal became a national hero. His life has inspired several biographical films and TV series.

 2 
Alfred Nobel
(Swedish Chemist, Engineer, and Inventor Who Invented Dynamite)
Alfred Nobel
32
Birthdate: October 21, 1833
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: December 10

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and inventor. A prolific inventor, he held 355 different patents. Most popular as the inventor of dynamite, he was concerned with how he would be remembered after his death and bequeathed his fortune to the Nobel Prize institution. A wide traveler, he was proficient in several languages.

Harriet Beecher Stowe
11
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: June 14, 1811
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Litchfield, Connecticut, United States
Died: July 1
 4 
William Morris
(Textile Designer, Poet)
William Morris
22
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 24, 1834
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Walthamstow, England
Died: October 3

William Morris was a British poet, novelist, textile designer, translator, and socialist activist. He played a major role in reviving the traditional British textile arts and the various methods of production. As a novelist and poet, Morris helped establish the fantasy genre, which is prevalent today. He is counted among the most important cultural figures of the Victorian era.

 5 
Clara Wieck Schumann
(Musician & Composer)
Clara Wieck Schumann
11
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: September 13, 1819
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Leipzig
Died: May 20

Clara Wieck Schumann was a German pianist, teacher, and composer. One of the most famous pianists of the Romantic era, Schumann changed the way concerts were conducted during her time and made a long-lasting impression as a pianist. She also influenced other pianists through her teaching; among her students were famous English pianist, Mathilde Verne.

Marcelo H. del Pilar
9
Birthdate: August 30, 1850
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bulakan, Bulacan, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Died: July 4

Marcelo H. del Pilar was a Filipino lawyer, writer, freemason, and journalist. Along with Graciano López Jaena and José Rizal, Del Pilar became known in Spain as the leaders of the Reform Movement. He is considered the Father of Philippine Journalism for his 66 editorials and 150 essays. He is also regarded as the Father of Philippine Masonry.

 7 
John Everett Millais
1
Birthdate: June 8, 1829
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Southampton, Hampshire, England
Died: August 13
 8 
Anton Bruckner
(Austrian Composer and Organist Best Known for His Symphonies: 'Masses', 'Te Deum' and 'Motets')
Anton Bruckner
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: September 4, 1824
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ansfelden, Austria
Died: October 11

Austrian composer Anton Bruckner was born to a schoolmaster father who was also an organist. Bruckner learned to play the violin by 4. In spite of being a musical legend, he often criticized his own work and re-worked on his pieces, leading to many versions of the same piece.

 9 
Henry Parkes
(7th Premier of New South Wales)
Henry Parkes
39
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 27, 1815
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Canley, Coventry, England
Died: April 27

Henry Parkes was a politician who served as the premier of the Colony of New South Wales. Serving at different time periods throughout the 1870s and 1880s, Parkes was the longest non-consecutive premier in the Colony of New South Wales history. Considered the Father of Federation, Parkes was described as the most commanding figure in Australian politics by The Times.

 10 
Paul Verlaine
(One of the Greatest French Poets of the 19th Century)
Paul Verlaine
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 30, 1844
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Metz, France
Died: January 8

Paul Verlaine was a French poet best remembered for his association with the Decadent movement and the Symbolist movement. He is regarded as one of the most important representatives of the fin de siècle in French and international poetry. His poetry served as an inspiration for composers like Gabriel Fauré, who composed several mélodies based on Verlaine's poems.

 11 
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria
(Archduke of Austria)
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 30, 1833
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: May 19

Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria was the younger brother of both Maximilian I of Mexico and Franz Joseph I of Austria. Ludwig is remembered as the father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination in Sarajevo is widely regarded as the most immediate cause of the First World War. Ludwig's grandson Charles I was the last emperor of Austria.

 12 
Otto Lilienthal
(German Aeronautical Engineer Who Completed Successful Glider Flights for the First Time)
Otto Lilienthal
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: May 23, 1848
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Anklam, Germany
Died: August 10

German aeronautical engineer Otto Lilienthal became the first known person to use gliders for a successful flight. A mechanical engineer, he owned a shop and flight factory and developed gliders, with which he completed around 2,000 flights. Lilienthal, however, died after breaking his back in a glider crash.

 13 
Mathew Brady
(One of the Earliest Photographers in American History)
Mathew Brady
2
Birthdate: May 18, 1822
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Warren County, New York, United States
Died: January 15

Mathew Brady was an American photographer who captured the American Civil War through his lenses. One of the earliest photographers in the history of the US, Brady is credited with taking pictures of prominent personalities like Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, and Andrew Jackson. Dubbed the father of photojournalism, Mathew Brady was the most renowned American photographer during the 19th century.   

 14 
August Kekulé
(German Organic Chemist Known for His Theory of Chemical Structure and the Tetravalence of Carbon)
August Kekulé
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 7, 1829
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Darmstadt, Germany
Died: July 13

August Kekulé was a German organic chemist. Regarded as one of the most important chemists in Europe, Kekulé is credited with founding the theory of chemical structure, including the Kekulé structure of benzene. Kekulé is also credited with teaching future Nobel Prize winners, Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff Jr., Hermann Emil Louis Fischer, and Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer.

 15 
Prince Henry of Battenberg
(Prince)
Prince Henry of Battenberg
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 5, 1858
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: January 20

Prince Henry of Battenberg was a morganatic descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. He was the son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by the Rhine, and his wife, Countess Julia von Hauke. He married Queen Victoria's youngest child, Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, and became a member of the British Royal Family. 

 16 
John Langdon Down
(British Physician)
John Langdon Down
0
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: November 18, 1828
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Torpoint, Cornwall, England
Died: October 7

British doctor John Langdon Down was pushed to assist at his father’s shop at 14. He gained an interest in medicine after apprenticing with a London surgeon. A pioneer in the treatment of mentally challenged patients, he is remembered for his study of what is now known as Down syndrome.

 17 
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton
2
Birthdate: December 3, 1830
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Died: January 25
 18 
Luis Ricardo Falero
(Painter)
Luis Ricardo Falero
0
Birthdate: May 23, 1851
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Granada, Spain
Died: December 7
 19 
We'wha
(Artist)
We'wha
2
Birthdate: 1849 AD
Birthplace: New Mexico, United States
Died: 1896 AD
 20 
George du Maurier
(Writer, Illustrator)
George du Maurier
0
Birthdate: March 6, 1834
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Paris
Died: October 6
 21 
Maria Wodzińska
(Artist)
Maria Wodzińska
1
Birthdate: January 7, 1819
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Poland
Died: December 7
 22 
Ferdinand von Mueller
(German-Australian Botanist Who Founded the National Herbarium of Victoria and Named Many Australian Plants)
Ferdinand von Mueller
0
Birthdate: June 30, 1825
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rostock, Germany
Died: October 10

Ferdinand von Mueller was a German-Australian geographer, physician, and botanist. He is credited with founding the National Herbarium of Victoria, the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. He is also credited with naming several Australian plants. Such is his popularity that many plants, animals, journals, and places in Australia are named after him. 

 23 
Hippolyte Fizeau
(Physicist, Astronomer)
Hippolyte Fizeau
2
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: September 23, 1819
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris
Died: September 18

Physicist Hippolyte Fizeau is best remembered for conducting the Fizeau experiment, named after him, which measured the speed of light. His other achievements include his contribution to the discovery of the Doppler effect and his description of the capacitor to improve the efficiency of the induction coil.

 24 
Isaac Burns Murphy
(One of the Greatest Riders in American Thoroughbred Horse Racing History)
Isaac Burns Murphy
2
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 6, 1861
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Clark County, Kentucky, United States
Died: February 12
 25 
Napoleon Sarony
(Former lithographer, photographer best known for his portraits of the stars of late-19th-century American theater)
Napoleon Sarony
0
Listed In: Photographers
Birthdate: March 9, 1821
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Quebec City, Canada
Died: November 9
 26 
Emil du Bois-Reymond
(German Physiologist and Physician Who Developed Experimental Electrophysiology and Co-Discovering Nerve Action Potential)
Emil du Bois-Reymond
1
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: November 7, 1818
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: December 26

Emil Heinrich Du Bois-Reymond was a German physiologist and physician. He is credited with developing experimental electrophysiology and co-discovering nerve action potential. He was also a renowned teacher and is known for his association with the University of Berlin where he served as a professor.

 27 
Edmond de Goncourt
(French Writer, Literary Critic, Art Critic, Book Publisher and the Founder of the 'Académie Goncourt')
Edmond de Goncourt
0
Birthdate: May 26, 1822
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Nancy, France
Died: July 16

Edmond de Goncourt was a French writer, book publisher, art critic, and literary critic. He is credited with founding the popular French literary organization, the Goncourt Literary Society. Between 1856 and 1875, he published essays on 18th-century art, which helped revive appreciation for the Late Baroque.

 28 
Ernst Engel
(German Statistician and Economist Who Is Famous for the 'Engel Curve' and 'Engel’s Law')
Ernst Engel
0
Birthdate: March 26, 1821
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Dresden, Germany
Died: December 8

German statistician Ernst Engel conducted an interesting study on over 150 Belgian families to come to the conclusion that the lower a family’s income, the greater is their expense on food. His revelation came to be known as the Engel curve, or the Engel’s law. He was also part of various statistical departments.

 29 
Ambroise Thomas
(Composer)
Ambroise Thomas
0
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: August 5, 1811
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Metz, France
Died: February 12
 30 
James Henry Greathead
(British Mechanical and Civil Engineer Who Improved the Tunneling Shield and the Basic Tool of Underwater Tunneling)
James Henry Greathead
0
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: August 6, 1844
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Grahamstown, South Africa
Died: October 21

James Henry Greathead was a civil and mechanical engineer best remembered for his work on the Liverpool overhead railway, Winchester Cathedral, and the London Underground railways. He is also credited with inventing the Greathead Shield, Greathead Injector Hydrant, and Greathead Grouting Machine.

 31 
Ichiyō Higuchi
(Japan’s First Professional Female Writer of Modern Literature)
Ichiyō Higuchi
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: May 2, 1872
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Uchisaiwaichō, Tokyo, Japan
Died: November 23
Ichiyō Higuchi was a noted Japanese writer, poet, and novelist from the Meiji Period. The most important Japanese woman writer of her period, Higuchi specialized in short stories and was Japan's first professional female writer of modern literature, and also an extensive diarist. Her stories Nigorie, Jūsan'ya, Ōtsugomori, and Takekurabe have been repeatedly adapted for film and television. 
 32 
Motiram Bhatta
(Poet)
Motiram Bhatta
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 1866 AD
Birthplace: Kathmandu, Nepal
Died: 1896 AD
 33 
Hamad bin Thuwaini of Zanzibar
(Sultan)
Hamad bin Thuwaini of Zanzibar
0
Birthdate: 1857 AD
Birthplace: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Died: August 25
 34 
Maurice de Hirsch
(Financier)
Maurice de Hirsch
0
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: December 9, 1831
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Died: April 21

German philanthropist and businessman Maurice de Hirsch was born into an affluent family of bankers and was later associated with Bischoffsheim & Goldschmidt. He is remembered for his remarkable charitable contribution to various educational initiatives and for the settlement of Jewish refugees, the most notable being the fund for Russian Jews.

 35 
Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon
(American Nun Who Founded the 'New York Foundling Hospital')
Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: May 12, 1823
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kensington, London, England
Died: August 14

Sister Mary Irene FitzGibbon, popularly known as Sister Irene, is best remembered as the founder of the New York Foundling Hospital, a first-of-its-kind hospital that catered to abandoned infants, especially those born of unwed mothers. She also introduced pioneering programs for adoption and for arrangement of foster homes.

 36 
Karl Verner
(Danish Linguist and Formulator of Verner’s Law)
Karl Verner
0
Birthdate: March 7, 1846
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Aarhus, Denmark
Died: November 5

Karl Verner was a Danish linguist best remembered for publishing Verner's Law in 1876. He received the prestigious Bopp Prize in 1877. In 1888, Karl Verner was made a fellow at the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters.

 37 
George Brown Goode
(Ichthyologist)
George Brown Goode
1
Birthdate: February 13, 1851
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New Albany, Indiana, United States
Died: September 6
 38 
Joseph James Cheeseman
(Politician)
Joseph James Cheeseman
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: March 7, 1843
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Edina, Liberia
Died: November 12
 39 
Thomas Hughes
(British Lawyer, Judge, Politician and Author Famous for His Novel 'Tom Brown’s School Days')
Thomas Hughes
0
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: October 20, 1822
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Uffington, Berkshire,England
Died: March 22

A qualified jurist, Thomas Hughes was also a renowned author, known for his iconic semi-autobiographical novel Tom Brown’s School Days. He also co-founded the Working Men’s College, as a result of his association with the Christian Socialist movement. He was also a Liberal Party MP, representing Lambeth and Frome.

 40 
José Asunción Silva
(Colombian Poet and One of the Most Prominent Forerunners of Modernism)
José Asunción Silva
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 27, 1865
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bogotá, Colombia
Died: May 23

José Asunción Silva was a Colombian poet who is often counted among the most prominent forerunners of modernism. Among his most important work is The Book of Verses. Jose Asuncion Silva's works were recognized and appreciated only after his death as he committed suicide at the age of 30 due to poverty.

 41 
Lyman Trumbull
(Senator)
Lyman Trumbull
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 12, 1813
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Colchester, Connecticut, United States
Died: June 25
 42 
Samuel Leonard Tilley
(Politician)
Samuel Leonard Tilley
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 8, 1818
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Gagetown, Canada
Died: June 25
 43 
Joseph Hubert Reinkens
(Bishop)
Joseph Hubert Reinkens
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 1, 1821
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Burtscheid, Germany
Died: January 4
 44 
Henry Cuyler Bunner
(Novelist)
Henry Cuyler Bunner
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: August 3, 1855
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oswego, New York, United States
Died: May 11
 45 
Arthur Cleveland Coxe
(Former Bishop of Western New York)
Arthur Cleveland Coxe
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: May 10, 1818
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Mendham Borough, New Jersey, United States
Died: July 20
 46 
Coventry Patmore
(Poet)
Coventry Patmore
0
Birthdate: July 23, 1823
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Woodford Wells, England
Died: November 26
 47 
Alfred Ely Beach
(Inventor)
Alfred Ely Beach
0
Birthdate: September 1, 1826
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Springfield, Massachusetts, United States
Died: January 1
 48 
Giuseppe Fiorelli
(Archaeologist)
Giuseppe Fiorelli
0
Birthdate: June 8, 1823
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: January 28
 49 
Frederick Broome
(Politician)
Frederick Broome
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: November 18, 1842
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Canada
Died: November 26
 50 
Sir John Brown
(Industrialist)
Sir John Brown
1
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: December 6, 1816
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Sheffield, England
Died: December 27