← Fame through time1855
1855
Whose working lives fell in 1855. 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 1855, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Florence Nightingale17 decades - 2
Friedrich Engels17 decades - 3
Susan B. Anthony16 decades - 4
William Tecumseh Sherman14 decades - 5
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy12 decades - 6
Herbert Spencer17 decades - 7
Jenny Lind18 decades - 8
Nadarnot measured- - 9
Henri, Count of Chambord0 decades - 10
Afanasy Fet8 decades - 11
Alexandru Ioan Cuza0 decades - 12
John Tyndall17 decades - 13
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar0 decades - 14
Multatuli9 decades - 15
John Tenniel17 decades - 16
Julia Gardiner Tyler1 decades - 17
Anna Sewell3 decades - 18
Fanny Crosby4 decades - 19
Božena Němcová0 decades - 20
Nana Sahib17 decades - 21
Begum Hazrat Mahal0 decades - 22
Archduchess Adelaide of Austrianot measured- - 23
Sergey Solovyov14 decades - 24
Concepción Arenal Ponte16 decades - 25
William John Macquorn Rankine1 decades - 26
Edmond Becquerel14 decades - 27
Princess Alexandrine of Baden0 decades - 28
Henri Vieuxtemps6 decades - 29
Mathilde Bonaparte1 decades - 30
Eugène Fromentin16 decades - 31
Yakub Beg6 decades - 32
George Hearstnot measured- - 33
Carolina Coronado18 decades - 34
John F. Reynoldsnot measured- - 35
Mary Surrattnot measured- - 36
Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa0 decades - 37
Juan N. Méndez14 decades - 38
Jeanne Duvalnot measured- - 39
Princess Charlotte Frederica of Prussianot measured- - 40
Şevkefza Sultannot measured- - 41
Prince Hendrik of the Netherlandsnot measured- - 42
Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kasselnot measured- - 43
William Howard Russell10 decades - 44
Mariano Melgarejonot measured- - 45
Juan Crisóstomo Falcónnot measured- - 46
Gillis Bildtnot measured- - 47
Henry Jarvis Raymondnot measured- - 48
Pellegrino Artusinot measured- - 49
Alexander Cartwrightnot measured- - 50
Arvid Posse0 decades - 51
Thuwaini bin Said Al Busaidinot measured- - 52
Émile Augier18 decades - 53
Earl Van Dornnot measured- - 54
Mirko Petrović-Njegošnot measured- - 55
Édouard Roche0 decades - 56
Alexander Serov10 decades - 57
Gustave Le Graynot measured- - 58
James Buchanan Eadsnot measured- - 59
Lewis A. Swiftnot measured- - 60
Joaquim Manuel de Macedonot measured- - 61
Tomás Mejíanot measured- - 62
Pierre Nord Alexisnot measured- - 63
Nikolay Girsnot measured- - 64
Princess Maria Carolina of the Two Siciliesnot measured- - 65
Little Wolfnot measured- - 66
Josef Mánes0 decades - 67
Lorenz Frølichnot measured- - 68
Helene Demuthnot measured- - 69
Pao-chen Shennot measured- - 70
Reinhart Dozy0 decades - 71
Alexandre-Émile Béguyer de Chancourtoisnot measured- - 72
Theodoros Deligiannisnot measured- - 73
Apollo Korzeniowskinot measured- - 74
György Klapkanot measured- - 75
Mkrtich Khrimiannot measured- - 76
Elisha Kent Kanenot measured- - 77
Anson Burlingamenot measured- - 78
George Grovenot measured- - 79
Mohammad Azam Khannot measured- - 80
Katherine Plunketnot measured- - 81
Karl Wilhelm Scheiblernot measured- - 82
Maria Katharina Kaspernot measured- - 83
Thomas Bainesnot measured- - 84
Léonie d'Aunetnot measured- - 85
Clement Vallandighamnot measured- - 86
Johannes Rebmannnot measured- - 87
Avdotya Panaevanot measured- - 88
Mary Livermorenot measured- - 89
Ivan Zabelinnot measured- - 90
Giacomo Zanellanot measured- - 91
Henry Yulenot measured- - 92
Ásíyih Khánumnot measured- - 93
Vincenzo Velanot measured- - 94
Anthony W. Gardinernot measured- - 95
John William Dawsonnot measured- - 96
James Halliwell-Phillippsnot measured- - 97
George Frederick Rootnot measured- - 98
George Uglow Popenot measured- - 99
Mayer Carl von Rothschildnot measured- - 100
Worthington Whittredgenot 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.