Explore 482 historical events from 1820–1829.
Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz was a German physicist and physician who made significant contributions in several scientific fields, particularly hydrodynamic stability. Th…
Hermann von Helmholtz, German physician and physicist (died 1894)
Lieutenant-General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois was a British military engineer and diplomat. After joining the British Army in 1839, he saw service, as a second captain, i…
William Jervois, English captain, engineer, and politician, 10th Governor of South Australia (died 1897)
Arthur Saint-Léon was the Maître de Ballet of St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet from 1859 until 1869 and is famous for creating the choreography of the ballet Coppélia.
Arthur Saint-Léon, French choreographer (died 1870)
Henri Frédéric Amiel was a Swiss moral philosopher, poet, and critic.
Henri-Frédéric Amiel, Swiss philosopher, poet, and critic (died 1881)
Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, II was an American Presbyterian minister who served as Secretary of State and Superintendent of Public Instruction of Florida, and, along with U.S. Congres…
Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, American minister and politician (died 1874)
Alexander Peter Stewart was a Confederate military officer during the American Civil War and a college professor. He fought in many of the most significant battles in the Western T…
Alexander P. Stewart, American general (died 1908)
Richard Heron Anderson was a career U.S. Army officer, fighting with distinction in the Mexican–American War. He also served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War,…
Richard H. Anderson, American general (died 1879)
Sir George Williams was an English philanthropist, businessman and founder of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). The oldest and largest youth charity in the world, its a…
George Williams, English philanthropist, founded the YMCA (died 1905)
Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathol…
Rudolf Virchow, German physician, biologist, and politician (died 1902)
Alexander Gardner was a Scottish-American photographer who immigrated to the United States in 1856, where he began to work full-time in that profession. He is best known for his ph…
Alexander Gardner, Scottish photographer (died 1882)
John Sims Reeves was an English operatic, oratorio and ballad tenor vocalist during the mid-Victorian era.
Sims Reeves, English tenor and actor (died 1900)
Collis Potter Huntington was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the Big Four tycoons of western railroading who invested in Theodore Judah's idea to build…
Collis Potter Huntington, American businessman (died 1900)
Antonio Ciseri was a Swiss-Italian painter of religious subjects. Ciseri's paintings are Raphaelesque in their compositional outlines and their polished surfaces, but are nearly ph…
Antonio Ciseri, Swiss-Italian painter (died 1891)
Gregory V of Constantinople, born Georgios Angelopoulos, was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1797 to 1798, from 1806 to 1808, and from 1818 to 1821. He was responsible …
Gregory V of Constantinople, Greek patriarch and saint (born 1746)
Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was Emperor of the French from 18 May 1804 until his first abdication in 1814, with a brief restoration during the Hu…
Napoleon, French general and emperor (born 1769)
Camille Jordan was a French politician born in Lyon of a well-to-do mercantile family.
Camille Jordan, French lawyer and politician (born 1771)
Martín Miguel de Güemes was a military leader and popular caudillo who defended northwestern Argentina from the Spanish royalist army during the Argentine War of Independence.
Martín Miguel de Güemes, Argentinian general and politician (born 1785)
Richard Cosway was a leading English portrait painter of the Georgian and Regency era, noted for his miniatures. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, William Woo…
Richard Cosway, English painter and academic (born 1742)
John William Polidori was an English writer and medical doctor. He is known for his associations with the Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre…
John William Polidori, English writer and physician (born 1795)
Heinrich Kuhl was a German naturalist and zoologist.
Heinrich Kuhl, German naturalist and zoologist (born 1797)
John Rennie was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron.
John Rennie the Elder, Scottish engineer, designed the Waterloo Bridge (born 1761)
Juan José Rafael Teodomiro de O'Donojú y O'Ryan was a Spanish-Irish military officer, diplomat and Viceroy of New Spain from 21 July 1821 to 28 September 1821 during the Mexican Wa…
Juan O'Donojú, last Spanish ruler of Mexico (born 1762)
José Miguel Carrera Verdugo was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carre…
José Miguel Carrera, Chilean general and politician (born 1785)
John Ross Key was a lawyer, a commissioned officer in the Continental Army, a judge, and the father of writer Francis Scott Key.
John Ross Key, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge (born 1754)