← Fame through time1839
1839
Whose working lives fell in 1839. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in 1839, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
George Sand20 decades - 2
Franklin Pierce20 decades - 3
Benjamin Disraeli18 decades - 4
Nathaniel Hawthorne19 decades - 5
Mikhail Glinka12 decades - 6
Ludwig Feuerbach19 decades - 7
Mongkut12 decades - 8
Johann Strauss Inot measured- - 9
Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi1 decades - 10
Allan Kardec16 decades - 11
Richard Owennot measured- - 12
Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuvenot measured- - 13
Eduard Mörike18 decades - 14
Eugène Sue20 decades - 15
Alfonso La Marmora18 decades - 16
Wilhelm Eduard Weber2 decades - 17
Matthias Jacob Schleiden2 decades - 18
Johan Ludvig Runeberg0 decades - 19
Marie Taglioni16 decades - 20
John Deere17 decades - 21
Emil Lenz2 decades - 22
Alexei Khomyakov9 decades - 23
John Gouldnot measured- - 24
Richard Cobden18 decades - 25
Joseph Paxton19 decades - 26
Victor Schoelcher18 decades - 27
Princess Luisa Carlotta of the Two Siciliesnot measured- - 28
Moritz von Schwind17 decades - 29
Duke Alexander of Württembergnot measured- - 30
Joseph Whitworth13 decades - 31
Princess Marie of Francenot measured- - 32
Carl von Rokitansky1 decades - 33
Jim Bridgernot measured- - 34
Louise Farrencnot measured- - 35
Emma Smithnot measured- - 36
Daniele Maninnot measured- - 37
Prince Karl, 3rd Prince of Leiningennot measured- - 38
Karl II, Duke of Brunswicknot measured- - 39
Milan Obrenović II0 decades - 40
Mykhailo Maksymovych17 decades - 41
Ludwig von Benedeknot measured- - 42
Jane Irwin Harrison0 decades - 43
Delphine de Girardin12 decades - 44
Cesare Cantù20 decades - 45
Paul Gavarni0 decades - 46
Hermann Schlegel1 decades - 47
William Barton Rogersnot measured- - 48
Mariya Volkonskayanot measured- - 49
Lady Flora Hastingsnot measured- - 50
Viktor Bunyakovsky1 decades - 51
Marie Frederica of Hesse-Kasselnot measured- - 52
August Borsignot measured- - 53
Tomás Frías Ametllernot measured- - 54
Aloisius Scrosoppinot measured- - 55
Pierre François Verhulstnot measured- - 56
Townsend Harrisnot measured- - 57
William Alexander Grahamnot measured- - 58
Francesco Domenico Guerrazzinot measured- - 59
Élie Frédéric Foreynot measured- - 60
Fruto Chamorronot measured- - 61
Franz Hanfstaenglnot measured- - 62
Handrij Zejler0 decades - 63
Prince Eduard of Saxe-Altenburgnot measured- - 64
Maurice de Guérin16 decades - 65
Jules Janinnot measured- - 66
Michał Czajkowskinot measured- - 67
Stephan Endlicher0 decades - 68
Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrientnot measured- - 69
Robert Hermann Schomburgknot measured- - 70
Claude-Étienne Miniénot measured- - 71
János Damjanichnot measured- - 72
Constantin Hansen0 decades
- 73
Ernst Friedrich August Rietschelnot measured- - 74
Ulrike von Levetzownot measured- - 75
Louis-François-Clement Breguetnot measured- - 76
Józef Dietlnot measured- - 77
Elizabeth Peabodynot measured- - 78
Tomás de Herreranot measured- - 79
Grigore Alexandru Ghicanot measured- - 80
Julius Benedictnot measured- - 81
Eugène, 8th Prince of Lignenot measured- - 82
Jane Stirlingnot measured- - 83
Robert Baldwinnot measured- - 84
Jules Dupuitnot measured- - 85
Manuel de Ascásubínot measured- - 86
Hércules Florencenot measured- - 87
Grigol Orbelianinot measured- - 88
Peder Balkenot measured- - 89
Alvan Clarknot measured- - 90
Kim Jeong-honot measured- - 91
Aleksander Chodźkonot measured- - 92
Jean-François Cailnot measured- - 93
Dorothea de Ficquelmontnot measured- - 94
William Denisonnot measured- - 95
Neal S. Downot measured- - 96
Mariano Rivera Paznot measured- - 97
Jerónimo Carriónnot measured- - 98
John Scott Harrisonnot measured- - 99
Anna Plochlnot measured- - 100
Fitz Henry Lanenot measured-
How to read these rankings
- People sit in their own time. Everyone is placed in the century their working life belongs to, and never in one that came after their death.
- Attention, not reputation. A place on these lists reflects the attention a person still draws in the public record, read across every language rather than one. It is not a judgement on the life.
- Fame in print. The curves show how often a name appeared in the books of each decade from 1800 to 2019, drawn from the Google Books Ngram corpus. Those decades are closed, so each curve is measured once and kept.
- Gaps are left as gaps. Where the record is too thin to be fair, or a name belongs to more than one notable person, we would rather show nothing than guess.