← Fame through time1840
1840
Whose working lives fell in 1840. 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 1840, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Hans Christian Andersen18 decades - 2
Joseph Smith22 decades - 3
Alexis de Tocqueville19 decades - 4
Giuseppe Mazzini20 decades - 5
Ferdinand de Lesseps18 decades - 6
William Rowan Hamilton16 decades - 7
Princess Sophie of Bavarianot measured- - 8
William Lloyd Garrison19 decades - 9
Fanny Mendelssohn10 decades - 10
Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet0 decades - 11
Mary Seacole2 decades - 12
Robert Fitzroy1 decades - 13
Louis Auguste Blanqui19 decades - 14
Adalbert Stifter19 decades - 15
Franz Xaver Winterhalter3 decades - 16
Marie d'Agoult10 decades - 17
Jean Eugène Robert-Houdinnot measured- - 18
William Harrison Ainsworth7 decades - 19
George Müllernot measured- - 20
Sarah Fuller Flower Adamsnot measured- - 21
Esteban Echeverría Mamani17 decades - 22
Alexander Burnes10 decades - 23
Prosper Guéranger12 decades - 24
Malek Jahan Khanomnot measured- - 25
Shirali Muslumovnot measured- - 26
Ewelina Hańskanot measured- - 27
Thomas Grahamnot measured- - 28
Samuel Palmernot measured- - 29
Angelina Grimkénot measured- - 30
Mah Şeref Hannot measured- - 31
John Lloyd Stephens4 decades - 32
Jonas Furrer10 decades - 33
Eugène Schneidernot measured- - 34
Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilairenot measured- - 35
Samuel Wilberforcenot measured- - 36
Peter Johann Nepomuk Geigernot measured- - 37
Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavaranot measured- - 38
Wilhelm von Kaulbachnot measured- - 39
Princess Amalia of Swedennot measured- - 40
José Balliviánnot measured- - 41
Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire20 decades - 42
Nau Nihal Singhnot measured- - 43
Mariano Ospina Rodrígueznot measured- - 44
Efunroye Tinubunot measured- - 45
August Bournonville0 decades - 46
Peter Clodt von Jürgensburgnot measured- - 47
Karl Rosenkranznot measured- - 48
Frederick Denison Mauricenot measured- - 49
José Trinidad Cabañasnot measured- - 50
Johan Peter Emilius Hartmannnot measured- - 51
Thomas Brasseynot measured- - 52
Gustav Struvenot measured- - 53
Louise Bertin18 decades - 54
Victor Baltardnot measured- - 55
Parson Brownlownot measured- - 56
Jean-Baptiste Nothombnot measured- - 57
Salustiano de Olózaga y Almandoznot measured- - 58
Johann Karl Rodbertusnot measured- - 59
Joseph Škodanot measured- - 60
Samuel Curtisnot measured- - 61
Alexander Karl, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburgnot measured- - 62
Henry Wellsnot measured- - 63
Manuel Garcíanot measured- - 64
Constantino Brumidinot measured- - 65
Nikolai Stankevichnot measured- - 66
Hiram Powersnot measured- - 67
Horatio Greenoughnot measured- - 68
Rudolf Wagnernot measured- - 69
Georg Gottfried Gervinus12 decades - 70
John Frederick Lewisnot measured- - 71
Johann Blumhardtnot measured- - 72
Johann Eduard Erdmannnot measured- - 73
Francis William Newmannot measured- - 74
Otto Theodor von Manteuffelnot measured- - 75
Maria De Mattiasnot measured- - 76
Napoléon Costenot measured- - 77
Harriot Kezia Huntnot measured- - 78
Josef Danhausernot measured- - 79
Anton von Schmerlingnot measured- - 80
David Urquhartnot measured- - 81
Hugo von Mohl7 decades - 82
Alexander Braun19 decades - 83
Juan José Nieto Gilnot measured- - 84
Jérôme Napoleon Bonapartenot measured- - 85
Luigi Riccinot measured- - 86
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuysnot measured- - 87
John Obadiah Westwoodnot measured- - 88
Empress Xiaoquanchengnot measured- - 89
Jeanne Deroinnot measured- - 90
John Biglernot measured- - 91
Ida von Hahn-Hahnnot measured- - 92
Thérèse Coudercnot measured- - 93
Henri Auguste Barbier19 decades - 94
Heinrich Stracknot measured- - 95
Eusebio Guilarte Molenot measured- - 96
Carlo Marochettinot measured- - 97
John Stevens Cabot Abbottnot measured- - 98
Pedro de Ampudianot measured- - 99
Benildus Romançonnot measured- - 100
Francis Wilkinson Pickensnot 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.