1889 is the crossroads where the descendants, living persons and ancestors of previous, current and future influencers meet on the chronological timeline of earth’s history. When I started out writing this project I didn’t think I would have to separate it into so many articles. But I kept thinking of different people as they ran across my path in my everyday life. A Domino sugar packet at work for example would make me ask the question, “Who developed this and when?” I would look up information about a product, structure, book, a person or several other things and declare to my wife, “They were alive in 1889.”

Or if they weren’t alive back in that year I looked up a relative of theirs before or after so I could include them in the mix of notable interesting people alive in that year. One of the main reasons I picked 1889 is because so many significant people were alive in that year that made a difference in the 19th and 20th century. Most notably Silent Comedy Movie Legend Charlie Chaplin who was born 4 days apart from Adolf Hitler. This man born a year after the first motion picture was filmed as a less than 10 second walk by some people in a garden would live till Christmas Day 1977, the same year Star Wars came out.

The world Charlie Chaplin was born into was not the same one he left. When he was born there was no rock music or airplanes. The year he died some members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a plane crash.

This is a link list to the people who were alive back in 1889.

Look, read, glance, and skim and learn or relearn something about someone who made history and had a Wikipedia article written about them.

When the articles are written the title of the particular article will be highlighted.

Saints and other Catholics Alive and Well in 1889

September 12, 2024

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church – Feast
January 2, 1873 –September 30, 1897)
Feast: October 1
Patron: Missions and missionaries, France
Discalced Carmelites

St. Therese And The Hidden Life Exposed | Mark Wilson (patheos.com)

She was a French Discalced Carmelite who is widely venerated in modern times. She is popularly known in English as the Little Flower of Jesus, or simply the Little Flower, and in French as la petite Thérèse (“little Therese”).

Therese has been a highly influential model of sanctity for Catholics and for others because of the simplicity and practicality of her approach to the spiritual life. She is one of the most popular saints in the history of the church, although she was obscure during her lifetime. Pope Pius X called her “the greatest saint of modern times”.

Descendants of Popes and Presidents Alive in 1889

President # 22 Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) Democratic
Presidential Term: March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889
Election: 1884
VP: Thomas A. Hendricks Vacant after November 25, 1885

No president except Cleveland has ever served non-consecutive terms: He defeated James G. Blaine in 1884, lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888 (despite winning the popular vote), and then came back to defeat Harrison in 1892. HISTORY

He used the presidential veto power over 500 times, far more than most other presidents, to reject bills he disagreed with. He did not want the United States to get its military involved in Latin America.

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) turned 52 in 1889. He was the father of Ruth Cleveland (October 3, 1891 – January 7, 1904), popularly known as Baby Ruth or Babe Ruth, who was the eldest of his five. She is the namesake of the Baby Ruth candy bar in 1921, almost 30 years after she was born.

Ancestors of Popes and Presidents Alive in 1889

September 20, 2024

Frederick Trump (March 14, 1869 – May 30, 1918) (20 in 1889) (Grandfather) was a German-born American barber and businessman. He amassed considerable wealth during the Klondike Gold Rush by running a restaurant and brothel for the miners. Friedrich returned to Kallstadt in 1901, and, by the next year, met and married Elizabeth Christ (October 10, 1880 – June 6, 1966) They were the parents of

Frederick Christ Trump Sr. (October 11, 1905 – June 25, 1999) was an American real-estate developer and businessman. He was the father

President # 45 Donald Trump (b. 1946) Republican
Presidential Term: January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
Election: 2016
VP: Mike Pence

STILL ALIVE @ Time of Publication

Donald Trump, (born June 14, 1946)

From 2004 to 2015, he co-produced and hosted the reality television series The Apprentice. He and his businesses have been plaintiffs or defendants in more than 4,000 legal actions, including six business bankruptcies. He was the only U.S. president without prior military or government experience. Trump promoted conspiracy theories and made many false and misleading statements during his campaigns and presidency, to a degree unprecedented in American politics.

Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice, in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after he pressured Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, and in 2021 for incitement of insurrection. The Senate acquitted him in both cases.

Descendants of Some Famous People Not Alive in 1889

Decendents of
Ben Franklin

He was an American polymath: a leading writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general.

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) (84) Signer of the “Declaration of Independence (Grandfather)
+ Deborah Franklin (February 14, 1708 – December 19, 1774) (66)
= Sarah “Sally” Bache (Franklin) (September 11, 1743 – October 05, 1808) (65)

Sarah + Richard Bache, Sr. (September 12, 1737 – July 29, 1811) (73 ) 2nd US Postmaster General (Daughter)
= Richard Franklin Bache, Jr. (March 11, 1784 – March 17, 1848 (64)

Richard + Sophia Burrell Bache (1784 – 1860) (71-80)
= the Great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin , Sophia Arabella Irwin (Bache) (November 14, 1815 – Death: March 24, 1904) (88)

She was the Wife of Pittsburgh Mayor and United States Congressman William Wallace Irwin (1803 – September 15, 1856).

She was also a niece of George Mifflin Dallas, the 11th Vice President of the United States, serving under James K. Polk.

When she died in 1904, she was the last survivor of the 42 great-grandchildren of Benjamin Franklin.

Picture These Artists in 1889

William Holman Hunt
(April 2, 1827 – September 7, 1910)

Self-portrait, 1867, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

He was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism.

The Light of the World (1851–1854) is an allegorical painting representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me”. According to Hunt: “I painted the picture with what I thought, unworthy though I was, to be divine command, and not simply a good subject.” The door in the painting has no handle, and can therefore be opened only from the inside, representing “the obstinately shut mind”. The painting was considered by many to be the most important and culturally influential rendering of Christ of its time.

Those Who Shaped the World Who Were Alive in 1889

Albert Einstein
(March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955)

He was a German-born theoretical physicist who is widely held as one of the most influential scientists. Best known for developing the theory of relativity, Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc², which arises from relativity theory, has been called “the world’s most famous equation”. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect“, a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. His intellectual achievements and originality have made the word Einstein broadly synonymous with genius.

In 1889 10 year old Albert Einstein attended the Munich academic secondary school till 1894. A book called The Physicist and the Philosopher: Einstein, Bergson, and the Debate That Changed Our Understanding of Time by Jimena Canales was published on May 26, 2015.

Cowboys and Outlaws Alive in 1889

Lizzie Borden
(July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927)

She was an American woman who was tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and, despite ostracism from other residents, Borden spent the remainder of her life in Fall River. She died of pneumonia at the age of 66, just days before the death of her older sister, Emma.

The Borden murders and trial received widespread publicity in the United States, and have remained a topic in American popular culture depicted in numerous films, theatrical productions, literary works, and folk rhymes around the Fall River area.

In 1889 Bridget Sullivan comes to work for the Bordens. (called “Maggie” by the daughters).

Explorers, Inventors and Discoverers Alive in 1889

Nellie Bly,
(May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922)

She was an American journalist, who was widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days in emulation of Jules Verne‘s fictional character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she worked undercover to report on a mental institution from within. She was a pioneer in her field and launched a new kind of investigative journalism.

Bread and Staple Makers Alive in 1889

John Harvey Kellogg,
(February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943)

He was an American businessman, inventor, physician, and advocate of the Progressive Movement. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, founded by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It combined aspects of a European spa, a hydrotherapy institution, a hospital and high-class hotel. Kellogg treated the rich and famous, as well as the poor who could not afford other hospitals. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, his “development of dry breakfast cereals was largely responsible for the creation of the flaked-cereal industry.”

Designers Alive in 1889

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
August 2, 1834 – October 4, 1904)

He was a French sculptor and painter. He is best known for designing Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty.

Extraordinary Out of the Ordinary People Alive in 1889

Harry Houdini
(March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926)

He was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts.

Actors on Stage, Screen and Radio Alive in 1889

Maude Adams
(November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953),

Known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress and stage designer who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production of Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. Adams’ personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more than $1 million during her peak.

Good Sports Alive in 1889

Cy Young
(March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955)

He was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family’s farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered the major leagues in 1890 with the National League‘s Cleveland Spiders and pitched for them until 1898. He was then transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals franchise. In 1901, Young jumped to the American League and played for the Boston Red Sox franchise until 1908, helping them win the 1903 World Series. He finished his career with the Cleveland Naps and Boston Rustlers, retiring in 1911.

Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. He is often regarded as one of the greatest pitchers of all time, as well as a pioneer of modern pitching. In 1956, one year after his death, the Cy Young Award was created to annually honor the best pitcher in the Major Leagues (later each League) of the previous season, cementing his name as synonymous with excellence in pitching.

The Write People in 1889

Alice Pleasance Liddell,
(May 4, 1852 – November 16, 1934)

She was an English woman who, in her childhood, was an acquaintance and photography subject of Lewis Carroll. One of the stories he told her during a boating trip became the classic 1865 children’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She shared her name with “Alice“, the story’s protagonist, but scholars disagree about the extent to which the character was based upon her.

19th Century Culturally Religious Influencers in 1889

Abraham Isaac Kook
(September 7, 1865 – September 1, 1935)

He was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one of the fathers of religious Zionism and is known for founding the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva.

The pure righteous do not complain of the dark, but increase the light; they do not complain of evil, but increase justice; they do not complain of heresy, but increase faith; they do not complain of ignorance, but increase wisdom. Arpilei Tohar (1914), p. 2.

The Sound of Music in 1889

Irving Berlin
(May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989)

He was an American songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald R. Ford in 1977. Broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite stated he “helped write the story of this country, capturing the best of who we are and the dreams that shape our lives”.

Berlin at his first job with a music publisher, aged 18

1889-Year of Tolkien’s Wife

Edith Bratt Tolkien (January 21, 1889 – November 29, 1971) was the wife of middle-earth creator J. R. R. Tolkien. She was the inspiration for his fictional Middle-earth characters Lúthien Tinúviel and Arwen Undómiel.

20th Century Entertainer’s Ancestors Alive in 1889

Taylor Swift’s Ancestors

Archie Dean Swift (1877 – 1961) (Great-Grandfather)
+ Bernice Maude Thompson (1882 – 1979)
= Archie Dean Swift (1914 – 1998)

Archie Dean Swift (1914 – 1998) (Grandfather)
+ Rose Baldi Douglas (1920 – 1994) = Scott Kingsley Swift (1952 -)

Scott Kingsley Swift (1952 – ) (Father)
+ Andrea Gardner Finlay (1958 – )

= Taylor Swift
(born December 13, 1989)

She is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic reinventions, and cultural impact, Swift is a leading figure in popular music and the subject of widespread public interest.

Her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour (2023–2024), and its accompanying concert film are respectively the highest-grossing tour and concert film of all time; Swift became the first billionaire with music as the main source of income and the highest-grossing female touring act.

Swift is one of the world’s best-selling music artists with an estimated global sale of 200 million records. Seven of her albums have opened with over one million pure sales in a week. She has been listed amongst history greatest artists by publications such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Forbes, as well as the only individual from the arts to have been named the Time Person of the Year (2023).