Famous People Who Died In 1908

Grover Cleveland, a Democratic Party member, was the President of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and then again from 1893 to 1897. He is known for his campaign for political reform and fiscal conservatism. However, he was unable to deal with the economic depression in his second term as President, which led to massive decline in his popularity.

Empress Dowager Cixi was a Chinese regent and empress dowager. From 1861 to 1908, Cixi served as the de facto supreme ruler of the Qing dynasty. She is credited with overseeing a series of moderate reforms called the Tongzhi Restoration, which helped the regime survive for a long period of time. She also supported military and technological reforms.  

While he grew up listening to Russian folk songs and church music, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov later joined the navy with his brother. One of the legendary Russian composers known as The Mighty Handful, he is remembered for his pieces such as Flight of the Bumblebee from the opera Tsar Saltan.

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Henri Becquerel is known for his chance discovery of spontaneous radioactivity. Born into a family of scientists, Becquerel had been an engineer and a physics professor earlier. Marie Curie, who shared the Nobel with him and her husband, Pierre, was one of his doctoral students.

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis was a Brazilian novelist, playwright, poet, and short-story writer. Hailing from a family of freed slaves, he had a difficult childhood that he overcame to become a famous writer. He founded the Brazilian Academy of Letters and became the organization’s first president. He is credited with having shaped the realism movement in Brazil.   

Tomás Estrada Palma was a Cuban politician who served as the first President of Cuba after Cuba's independence in 1902. During his presidency, Cuba's infrastructure, public health, and communication improved significantly. Tomás Estrada Palma had also played an important role during the Ten Years' War, serving as the Cuban Republican in Arms' president.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was an Indian religious leader. He is credited with founding the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is an Islamic revival movement. A prolific author, Ghulam Ahmad wrote over 90 books on various theological, moral, and religious subjects. He continues to be revered as a subordinate prophet by Ahmadi Muslims, which is often debated by mainstream Muslims.

The eldest son of Portuguese king Carlos I, Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal is also known as the 20-minute king. His father was killed by assassins while traveling with the family in an open carriage. Luis, who became the default king, died 20 minutes later. He was almost 21 when he died.

One of the pioneers of the Wiener Sezession/Secession, or the Austrian Art Nouveau movement, architect Joseph Maria Olbrich was trained by modern architecture founder Otto Wagner. One of his best works was The Sezession Building in Vienna. He, unfortunately, lost his battle with leukemia at age 40.

Starting his medical career as an army surgeon, Friedrich von Esmarch later pioneered the use of the Esmarch bandage as a first-aid solution for soldiers. He later taught as a professor of surgery and also penned an invaluable manual of military surgical procedures. He eventually received a patent of nobility.

Guangxu Emperor reigned over the Qing dynasty from 1875 to 1908. He was also the ninth Qing emperor to reign over the Eighteen Provinces or China proper. He is best remembered for initiating the Hundred Days' Reform, which was brought to an end by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1898. Subsequently, Guangxu Emperor lost power and was killed in 1908.

Demetrius Vikelas was a Greek writer and businessman. He is best remembered for serving as the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) first president from 1894 to 1896. The Syros Island National Airport and the Sports Center Stadium in Syros are named in his honor.

Astronomer Charles Augustus Young is best known for his research on the flash spectrum of the Sun. He penned several significant books on astronomy, such as General Astronomy, and taught at Princeton University, too. He had also been part of the 85th Regiment of Ohio in the Civil War.

Remembered as Canada’s first real sports hero, Ned Hanlan developed many aspects of modern rowing. Initially a hotelier, he later came to be known as the Boy in Blue for his typical blue rowing attire and eventually won the world championship in the sport, along with over 300 other championships.

Tony Pastor was an American variety performer, impresario, and theatre owner. Dubbed the Dean of Vaudeville, Pastor played a crucial role in popularizing American vaudeville during the 19th century. He is also remembered for presenting family-friendly content in the form of vaudeville, bringing about an end to bawdy variety acts that were prevalent at that time.

American art professor and author Charles Eliot Norton was also a prominent social reformer. The Harvard graduate not only lectured at his alma later but also penned a number of books, which included a translation of The Divine Comedy by Dante. He also campaigned in support of euthanasia.

Pablo de Sarasate was a Spanish violin virtuoso, composer, and conductor active during the Romantic period. He was a musical prodigy and gave his first public concert at the age of eight. He grew up to have a successful career and performed mainly opera fantasies. The Spanish Dances and the Carmen Fantasy are among his masterpieces.