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A gifted poet, playwright, and wit; Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in 19th-century England. He was illustrious for preaching the importance of style in life and art, and of attacking Victorian narrow-mindedness.

Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland. He studied at Trinity College in Dublin, before leaving the country to study at Oxford University in England when he was in his early 20s. His prodigious literary talent was recognized when he received the Newdegate Prize for his outstanding poem "Ravenna". After leaving university, he began to cause a sensation, using sheer force of personality, as he published his first volume of poetry, "Patience", in 1881, followed by a play, "The Duchess of Padua", two years later.

On his arrival in America, he stirred the nation with his flamboyancy: wearing silk stockings, and sporting long, flowing hair, which gave the impression, to many, of an effeminate, and he bore a general air of wittiness, sophistication, and eccentricity. He was an instant celebrity, but his works did not find recognition until the publication of "The Happy Prince and Other Tales" (1888). His other noted work was his only novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1890), which caused controversy, because it evidently attacked the hypocrisy of England, and its' obvious homosexual content was later used as incriminating evidence at Wilde's trial.

Wilde was married, and he had two children, but he was also a gay man. He had an affair with a young aristocrat named Lord Alfred Douglas. Douglas' father, the Marquess of Queensberry, did not approve of his son's relationship with the distinguished writer, and when he accused Wilde of sodomy, Wilde sued him for libel. However, his case was dismissed when his homosexuality--which at the time was outlawed in England--was exposed. He was, as a result, arrested for 'gross indecency', tried, and sentenced to two years hard labor. Upon his release, he was penniless, and he was, as a result, reduced to living off of the generosity of friends, and of his wife, from whom he lived in a socially dictated separation. He did, however, begin to display some of his former glory in his efforts to reinvent himself as a kind of exposé writer and commentator, though his worthwhile, honest efforts were mostly unsuccessful, due to the prejudice his sentencing had caused, and that led him to understandable displays of dejection. He died in a Paris hotel room, just over three years after his release, likely from an ear injection contracted in prison. He was 46.

Wilde is immortalized through his works, which remain popular, and have been, and continue to be, interpreted on stage, in films, and on television.

Wilde was finally pardoned by the British government in 2017.

John Philip Sousa was born on 6 November 1854 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was a writer and composer, known for Captain America: First Avenger (2011), Octopussy (1983) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). He was married to Jane van Middlesworth Bellis. He died on 6 March 1932 in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA.

James T. Kelley was born on 10 July 1854 in Castlebar, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. He was an actor, known for La Chasse au renard (1921), Charlot patine (1916) and Charlot pompier (1916). He died on 12 November 1933 in New York City, New York, USA.

Brilliant stage and screen actor Charles Eldridge was born in New York in 1854. Starred on the drama and comedy theatre from the 1870's. Occasionally known as Mr. Eldridge became a white haired gentleman who starred and supported in more than 160 melodrama, comedy and crime movies, with the Vitagraph Film Company from 1910, making his film debut as the old farmer in 'The Legacy' co-starring Mary Maurice. His most notable role was as Jabee Smith in many of the 'Mr. Jarr' comedies starring Harry Davenport in 1915. Mr. Eldridge left Vitagraph in 1916 to worked for several other film companies including IMP, Victor, Rolfe, Columbia, Stubert and last with Goldwyn and Fox until his death from cancer in 1922 age 68.

Engelbert Humperdinck was born on 1 September 1854 in Siegburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was a composer and writer, known for Hannibal Lecter : Les Origines du mal (2007), Lore (2012) and Hänsel und Gretel (2015). He was married to Hedwig Taxer. He died on 27 September 1921 in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Francis Marion Crawford was born on 2 August 1854 in Bagni di Lucca, Grand Duchy of Tuscany [now Tuscany, Italy]. Francis Marion was a writer, known for Fils de Radjah (1931), Dans les laves du Vésuve (1923) and In the Palace of the King (1923). Francis Marion was married to Elizabeth Christophers Berdan. Francis Marion died on 9 April 1909 in Sorrento, Campania, Italy.

Arthur Rimbaud was born on 20 October 1854 in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, France. He was a writer, known for Ein großer graublauer Vogel (1970), Ardente patience (1983) and Vagabonds imaginaires (1950). He died on 10 November 1891 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.

George Morgan was born on 10 October 1854 in Concord, Delaware, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Lurking Peril (1919), The Hurricane Express (1932) and The Pirate of Panama (1929). He died on 8 January 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Leos Janácek was born on 3 July 1854 in Hukvaldy/Hochwald, Moravia, Austrian Empire [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer, known for L'insoutenable légèreté de l'être (1988), Cunning Little Vixen and NET Opera Theater (1967). He was married to Zdenka Schulzova. He died on 12 August 1928 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].

Riley Chamberlin was born on 7 November 1854 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for His Winning Way (1914), The Star of Bethlehem (1912) and Mr. Cinderella (1914). He died on 24 January 1917 in New Rochelle, New York, USA.

Adolf Jensen was born on 6 December 1854 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor, known for Fyrstindens skæbne (1916), Manden, der sejrede (1920) and Folkets ven (1918). He died on 7 March 1920.

George Eastman, born in Waterville, New York, USA, was a pioneering innovator, industrialist, and philanthropist whose vision forever changed photography, motion pictures, and the way the world captured memories. In 1888, he founded the Eastman Kodak Company and revolutionized photography by introducing roll film and launching the first Kodak camera with the promise, "You press the button, we do the rest." Eastman made photography simple, affordable, and accessible to families, travelers, artists, and professionals worldwide, significantly shaping the future of photography. Films have also been made based on their life.

Starting as a bank clerk with a growing interest in photography, Eastman dedicated years to experiments that led to the invention of flexible roll film a breakthrough that paved the way not only for amateur photography but also for the motion picture industry. He recognized that the real future of imaging lay in the mass production of quality film stock rather than just cameras. Under his leadership, Kodak became the exclusive supplier of film to early Hollywood studios, providing the visual foundation for the birth of American cinema. By the early twentieth century, Kodak products were synonymous with photography itself, dominating the global market and revolutionizing how people documented their lives.

Eastman's ambitions extended far beyond business. A visionary philanthropist, he donated vast sums to education, music, healthcare, and scientific research. He established the Eastman School of Music and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, enriched the University of Rochester with medical and dental schools, and funded clinics in London, Stockholm, Paris, Brussels, and other European cities to provide healthcare for underserved communities. His generosity reached historically Black institutions such as Tuskegee and Hampton Universities and supported the expansion of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shaping generations of students, scientists, and artists.

Innovative even in labor relations, Eastman introduced employee profit-sharing and retirement plans years before such ideas became widespread, fostering loyalty and financial security among Kodak workers. He supported progressive concepts like the International Fixed Calendar, believing in global efficiency and modernization. At the same time, he remained a private, disciplined figure, preferring his philanthropy to speak louder than personal publicity.

Eastman also nurtured a lifelong love for music, travel, and culture. He hosted concerts, supported artists, and dedicated Rochester's Kilbourn Hall to his mother's memory, reflecting the deep personal bonds that shaped his life. Even as Kodak grew into a multinational empire employing tens of thousands, he maintained a reputation for precision, innovation, and generosity.

By the time Kodak introduced early color film and trained pilots in aerial photography during World War I, Eastman's influence had spread across technology, entertainment, science, and education. His leadership turned Kodak into a cornerstone of both the photographic and cinematic worlds, while his philanthropy transformed universities, hospitals, and cultural institutions on two continents.

Today, Eastman's legacy endures through the George Eastman Museum, the institutions he founded, and the countless innovations his vision inspired. Celebrated as one of America's great industrialists and benefactors, he left behind a world where capturing moments-whether in art, science, journalism, or cinema-became not only possible but universal. His life's work bridged technology and humanity, shaping modern visual culture in ways few others have achieved.

James Bland was an African-American musician and composer who wrote many songs about the American South for use in minstrel shows. His most famous was Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (1878), which became the official State Song of Virginia, being retired in 1997 due to racial controversies. Bland was born in Flushing, New York on October 22, 1854, one of eight children to educated free parents. His father bought him an eight-dollar banjo and Bland was soon performing professionally by his early teens. He attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., but soon pursued music, inspired by the music of some of the workers on the Howard campus, and joined the all-black Georgia Minstrels in the late 1870's. He soon married fellow Howard student and Virginia native Mamie Friend, and was inspired to write Carry Me Back to Old Virginny after hearing her speak of her homesickness while away at college. Other songs composed by Bland were In the Morning in the Bright Light (1879), In the Evening by the Moonlight (1879), and his second most famous song, Oh! Dem Golden Slippers (1879), known today mostly because it was used in an often-aired Golden Grahams cereal television commercial in the 1970's. In 1881, he moved to London, spending the next twenty years there before returning to the United States. While in London, he performed without blackface and gave command performances for Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales. Bland was making $10,000 a year at one point but recklessly spent his money. In 1901 he returned penniless to Washington, D.C., and as the popularity of minstrel shows waned, Bland could not find work. He died alone in Philadelphia on May 5, 1911, a victim of tuberculosis. He was buried in an unmarked grave but in 1939 the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) provided a headstone at the grave site to commemorate his life. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

Ella La Cour was born on 31 January 1854 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She was an actress, known for Hamlet (1911), Gennem kamp til sejr (1911) and Dødsklippen (1913). She was married to de la Cour, Charles Dornonville. She died on 28 June 1935.

Armand Dutertre was born on 17 July 1854 in Lublin, Poland, Russian Empire [now Lublin, Lubelskie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Le roman d'un mousse (1914), Le jardin d'Allah (1927) and La Sultane de l'amour (1919). He died on 31 May 1932 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

George A. Williams was born on 11 August 1854 in Kinnikinnic, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for À toute vitesse (1925), Thundering Romance (1924) and Diavolo court sa chance (1922). He died on 21 February 1936 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Edmond Duquesne was born on 25 February 1854 in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France. He is known for Le chiffonnier de Paris (1913), La légende de l'Aigle - Ordre de l'empereur (1911) and Madame Sans-Gêne (1911).

Gustave Frohman was born on 7 November 1854 in Sandusky, Ohio, USA. He was a producer, known for The Fairy and the Waif (1915), Just Out of College (1915) and The Builder of Bridges (1915). He was married to Marie Hubert Frohman. He died on 16 August 1930 in New York City, New York, USA.

Carl Gottschalksen was born on 20 February 1854 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor, known for Hævnens nat (1916) and Det store Fald (1911). He died on 6 January 1939.

Scots stage actor who late in life appeared in a number of silent films. Educated in Belfast, Ireland, Mantell traveled to America at 24 and played in "Romeo and Juliet" and "East Lynne" with Helena Modjeska. He worked constantly in America and Great Britain and established himself as a great success in Shakespearean works. Mantell married five times and was widowed twice. His third wife, Charlotte Behrens, had been his leading lady. Married, she fell in love with Mantell and lived openly with him. Her husband threatened to kill Mantell, who was also married. Following a divorce for each of them, they married, but Charlotte died less than two years later under cloudy circumstances. His fourth wife, Marie Booth Russell, was also his leading lady, and she too died at an early age, of Bright's Disease, in 1911. Mantell's fifth wife, Genevieve Hamper, was another of his leading ladies. She survived him when he died at 74, in 1928, following a nervous collapse. Mantell's son, Robert B. Mantell Jr. appeared in a few films before his suicide.

Eufemia Gräfin von Adlersfeld-Ballestrem was born on 18 August 1854 in Ratibor, Silesia, Germany. She was a writer, known for Aus Mangel an Beweisen (1916), Tscherkessenblut (1919) and Die weißen Rosen von Ravensberg (1919). She was married to Joseph Fritz von Adlersfeld. She died on 26 April 1941 in Munich, Germany.

Moritz Moszkowski was born on 23 August 1854 in Breslau, Prussia, German Confederation. Moritz is known for Remember (2015), Wolo (1916) and Great Performances (1971). Moritz was married to Henriette Chaminade. Moritz died on 4 March 1925 in Paris, French Third Republic.

Jacob Abrams was born on 27 June 1854 in New York City, New York, USA. He is known for God's Gold (1921), Son triomphe (1918) and The Blood of His Fathers (1917).

John L. Shine was born on 28 May 1854 in Manchester, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mrs. Dane's Defense (1918), Little Lady Eileen (1916) and The Lie (1918). He was married to Annie Louise Maccabe. He died on 16 October 1930 in New York City, New York, USA.

Clara Louise Burnham was born on 25 May 1854 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. She was a writer, known for Opened Shutters (1921), Jewel (1915) and The Opened Shutters (1914). She was married to Walter Burnham. She died on 20 June 1927 in Bailey Island, Maine, USA.