Famous birthdays by year

Famous People Born in 1865

Born in 1865? Meet the well-known people who share your birth year, from the biggest names to the ones you might not expect, month by month.

Turning 161 in 2026 · Chinese zodiac: Year of the Ox

The 1860s

The most famous people born in 186518

1865–1936

Rudyard Kipling

British writer whose Jungle Book stories, Indian-inspired fiction, and verse made him the youngest Nobel Literature laureate in 1907

Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( RUD-yərd; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936) was an English journalist, novelist, poet and short-story writer. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureDied aged 70

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Photo: Bain News Service, publisher · Public domain

1865–1939

William Butler Yeats

Irish poet and playwright of The Second Coming and Easter, 1916, a leader of the Irish Literary Revival and Nobel laureate

William Butler Yeats ( YAYTS; 13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureDied aged 73

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Photo: George Charles Beresford · Public domain

1865–1923

Warren G. Harding

29th US President whose administration was rocked by the Teapot Dome bribery scandal and who died in office

Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular presidents at the time of his death.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsDied aged 57

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Photo: Copyright by Moffett, Chicago. J241772 U.S. Copyright Office. · Public domain

1865–1936

George V

British king during the First World War who changed the royal family's name to Windsor in 1917

George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

RoyaltyDied aged 70

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Photo: Bassano Ltd · Public domain

1865–1957

Jean Sibelius

Finnish composer celebrated for his symphonies and the tone poem Finlandia

Jean Sibelius (Finland Swedish:; born Johan Christian Julius Sibelius; 8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MusicDied aged 91

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Photo: Paul Heckscher · Public domain

1865–1943

Pieter Zeeman

Dutch physicist who discovered how magnetic fields affect light radiation

Pieter Zeeman (25 May 1865 – 9 October 1943) was a Dutch experimental physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz for their discovery and theoretical explanation of the Zeeman effect.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 78

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Photo: Unknown author · Public domain

1865–1951

Charles G. Dawes

Nobel Peace Prize winner and 30th US Vice President

Charles Gates Dawes (August 27, 1865 – April 23, 1951) was the 30th vice president of the United States from 1925 to 1929 under President Calvin Coolidge. He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 for his work on the Dawes Plan for World War I reparations, and a member of the Republican Party.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsDied aged 85

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Photo: Harris & Ewing · Public domain

1865–1937

Erich Ludendorff

German general who led key victories during World War One

Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (German:; 9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a Prussian-born German general and politician. He achieved fame during World War I (1914–1918) for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MilitaryDied aged 72

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Photo: Alexander Binder · Public domain

Born in 1865, month by month

February
- Sven Hedin (February 19) · Swedish explorer known for his expeditions through Central Asia
April
- Richard Adolf Zsigmondy (April 1) · Nobel Prize-winning chemist who studied colloids
- Erich Ludendorff (April 9) · German general who led key victories during World War One
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela (April 26) · Finnish painter best known for illustrating the national epic, the Kalevala
May
- Pieter Zeeman (May 25) · Dutch physicist who discovered how magnetic fields affect light radiation
- John Mott (May 25) · Nobel Peace Prize winner and longtime leader of the YMCA
June
- George V (June 3) · British king during the First World War who changed the royal family's name to Windsor in 1917
- William Butler Yeats (June 13) · Irish poet and playwright of The Second Coming and Easter, 1916, a leader of the Irish Literary Revival and Nobel laureate
July
- Alexander Glazounov (July 29) · Russian composer known for his symphonies and ballet music
August
- Dmitry Merezhkovsky (August 2) · Russian novelist and philosopher nominated many times for the Nobel Prize
- Ferdinand I of Romania (August 24) · King of Romania during the First World War
- Charles G. Dawes (August 27) · Nobel Peace Prize winner and 30th US Vice President
October
- Paul Dukas (October 1) · French composer of the symphonic poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- Arthur Harden (October 12) · Nobel Prize-winning British biochemist who studied the fermentation of sugar
November
- Warren G. Harding (November 2) · 29th US President whose administration was rocked by the Teapot Dome bribery scandal and who died in office
December
- Edith Cavell (December 4) · British nurse celebrated for saving soldiers from both sides in WWI
- Jean Sibelius (December 8) · Finnish composer celebrated for his symphonies and the tone poem Finlandia
- Rudyard Kipling (December 30) · British writer whose Jungle Book stories, Indian-inspired fiction, and verse made him the youngest Nobel Literature laureate in 1907

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