they say that legends never die but
these historical figures passed away not
knowing their work would live forever
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
people who became famous after they died
before we begin we publish new videos
every day
so be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
individuals throughout history who died
in relative obscurity but whose works
accomplishments or fiefs went on to earn
them significant fame after their deaths
we’re not considering anyone who only
became famous as a result of their
demise like victims of high-profile
murders or sensational deaths
also some measure of success during
their lifetime is acceptable as long as
their popularity after death clearly and
substantially eclipses any name
recognition they had in their lifetime
number 10 Herman Melville long before
Bear Grylls turned the idea of man vs.
wild into a freak show that involves
sleeping inside camels this 19th century
American writer was exploring man’s
attempt to best nature in his novel
moby-dick I live and breathe
he’s mars herman melville briefly
flirted with success as a writer after
publishing his first book kaity a highly
dramatized account of his time living
among the Polynesians
but his subsequently published books
including moby dick were increasingly
less well received resulting in
financial failure his shift into poetry
proved equally disastrous by 1876 none
of his books remained in print and he
died in 1891 as little more than a
footnote in American literature Herman
Melville wrote Moby Dick he was so poor
and forgotten by the time he died that
in his obituary they called him Henry
Melville in the early 1900’s however his
work resurfaced two retrospective
acclaim earning him a spot among
America’s great authors it will be a
work of fiction mr. Nickerson number 9
Gregor Mendel science and religion are
often portrayed as being in direct
conflict with each other but for proof
of potential harmony between the two one
need look no further than Gregor Mendel
this 19th century European scientist and
friar studied plants and animals and
through crossbreeding established early
concepts of heredity Mendel is now
considered to be the father of modern
genetics his work was largely dismissed
by the scientific community in his own
time however as it did not fit with
current models but by the early 1900’s a
number of researchers revisited or
rediscovered his works and Mendel’s laws
went on to lay the foundation for what
we now know as genetics number 8 Oscar
Wilde similar to Melville Oscar Wilde
experienced some success and recognition
during his lifetime in the 1890s after
years spent as a journalist editor and
author of essays short stories poetry
and fiction he wrote a number of
successful plays including The
Importance of Being Earnest an instant
hit I realized for the first time in my
life of vital importance being honest
despite his late career success legal
battles over his homosexuality resulted
in him serving a two-year prison
sentence after which he spent his final
years as a penniless exile in France
much of his work went unappreciated upon
initial publishing most notably the
picture
of Dorian Gray which was dismissed as
immoral homoeroticism but his collected
works life story and poetically tragic
deaths earned him significantly greater
fame posthumously a Fame that grew
exponentially in later decades
patriotism is a venture of the bishops
according to us a wild number 7 HP
Lovecraft aside from Stephen King there
is likely no bigger name in horror than
Lovecraft but in his lifetime the
reclusive self-conscious author never
earned so much as a modest living from
his written work which were relegated to
the pages of pulp magazine his work was
recognized within small circles of
writers however and over the years an
appreciation of his writing by other
authors in the genre went on to
establish him as a father figure in
horror culture his influence has grown
so great since his death that
Lovecraftian horror is a sub-genre of
it’s very own
things much older than Earth are gazing
upon us with indifference his creations
and mythos such as Cthulhu have worked
their way into the very fabric of pop
culture and are now seen in anime film
television tabletop games music and
video games
the rise of Cthulhu from another
dimension brings about 3,000 years of
Darkness table number 6 Edgar Allan Poe
unappreciated though he was Lovecraft
often cited Poe as one of his major
influences hoes work is particularly
notable for being at once terrifying and
get undeniably beautiful a rare quality
in contemporary horror he spent most of
his adult life in relative poverty
supplementing his income by writing for
journals and periodicals this work
earned him a reputation as a respected
literary critic but these circles were
small his only truly successful work in
his own lifetime was the Raven and my
soul from out that shadow that lies
floating on the floor
shall be lifted posthumously his poetry
and short fiction work was translated
into French where it became quite
popular before spreading across the
globe
additionally Poe is also credited with
having invented the detective fiction
genre without ever naming it number 5
Galileo Galilei the Inquisition what a
time to be alive
is of Spanish Inquisition Galileo is a
household name nowadays but in his own
lifetime he was repeatedly subjected to
censorship and forced to recant his
scientific statements spending the
better part of his final decade under
house arrest but Alejo laid out his
theories about the earth revolved in
wrong with him
gregor mendel might have been the father
of modern genetics but galileo has been
called the father of science by the
likes of Stephen Hawking
and Albert Einstein yes science his
contributions to the fields of astronomy
engineering and physics were
immeasurable sadly during his own
lifetime the church suppressed much of
his work deeming it heresy in the years
after his death however his band works
were steadily released allowing the full
impact of his discoveries to be felt by
the scientific world number four Emily
Dickinson although a few of Emily
Dickinson’s poems were published during
her lifetime they were heavily edited
and in some cases were even published
anonymously she was a prolific writer
until her death at the age of 55 but
kept the majority of her writings to
herself I hear Robbins a great way off
and waggons great way off after her
death her sister Lavinia discovered some
18-hundred poems and made it her
personal mission to see them published a
number of factors prevented this goal
from being fully realized in the ensuing
decades but from 1890 to 1945 various
edited volumes of her poetry were
released capturing the attention of
critics in 1955 her completed works were
finally published since her death Emily
Dickinson has been recognized as one of
the most important poets in American
history
green eyes she was sometimes Emily
Dickinson
number three Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Bach was certainly relatively
well known in his own time but not as a
composer Fox was a highly and widely
respected professional organ player he
didn’t keep his compositions of secret
they were simply considered too complex
and too challenging for listeners of the
musical arts interest in his music was
limited to peers or contemporary equally
focused on pushing the boundaries of
musical experimentation eventually
however the world caught up to him the
early 19th century saw Bach rise in
prominence as a composer and with an
1829 performance of a sacred oratorio
st. Matthew Passion he quickly grew into
his current status as one of the
greatest composers in history
[Music]
number two Vincent van Gogh in his
lifetime Vincent van Gogh was a prolific
painter creating around 2100 works in
just over 10 years but he only succeeded
and selling a single painting in his own
lifetime considered to be insane and a
failure of an artist partly because of
that whole ear thing he took his own
life at the age of 37
it was truly post death in addition to a
substantial contributions to modern art
as we know it his dramatic life and
death have helped shape the romanticized
depiction of the tortured artist and the
notion that one should suffer for their
art before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
well walden is antithetical to despite
everything we think in the world now you
know Franz Kafka’s stories do indeed
deal with many mundane and absurd
aspects of modern bureaucracy are the
creations of Stieg Larsson a Swedish
journalist and first-time novelist who
didn’t live to see the phenomenon his
books would become number one and Frank
even on this list and Frank is truly
unique she died at the tender age of 15
in a German concentration camp and yet
her writing a simple diary has gone on
to become one of the most famous
publications ever written between 1942
and 1944
it chronicles an time in hiding with her
family before their capture and
transportation to Auschwitz in her diary
which was recovered by her father the
only surviving member of her family
after World War two
she wrote about her dreams of becoming a
journalist although atrocious acts of
genocide kept her from realizing that
dream the one piece of writing she did
pen in her short life has made her one
of the most famous nonfiction writers in
history do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos
every day
these historical figures passed away not
knowing their work would live forever
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
people who became famous after they died
before we begin we publish new videos
every day
so be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
individuals throughout history who died
in relative obscurity but whose works
accomplishments or fiefs went on to earn
them significant fame after their deaths
we’re not considering anyone who only
became famous as a result of their
demise like victims of high-profile
murders or sensational deaths
also some measure of success during
their lifetime is acceptable as long as
their popularity after death clearly and
substantially eclipses any name
recognition they had in their lifetime
number 10 Herman Melville long before
Bear Grylls turned the idea of man vs.
wild into a freak show that involves
sleeping inside camels this 19th century
American writer was exploring man’s
attempt to best nature in his novel
moby-dick I live and breathe
he’s mars herman melville briefly
flirted with success as a writer after
publishing his first book kaity a highly
dramatized account of his time living
among the Polynesians
but his subsequently published books
including moby dick were increasingly
less well received resulting in
financial failure his shift into poetry
proved equally disastrous by 1876 none
of his books remained in print and he
died in 1891 as little more than a
footnote in American literature Herman
Melville wrote Moby Dick he was so poor
and forgotten by the time he died that
in his obituary they called him Henry
Melville in the early 1900’s however his
work resurfaced two retrospective
acclaim earning him a spot among
America’s great authors it will be a
work of fiction mr. Nickerson number 9
Gregor Mendel science and religion are
often portrayed as being in direct
conflict with each other but for proof
of potential harmony between the two one
need look no further than Gregor Mendel
this 19th century European scientist and
friar studied plants and animals and
through crossbreeding established early
concepts of heredity Mendel is now
considered to be the father of modern
genetics his work was largely dismissed
by the scientific community in his own
time however as it did not fit with
current models but by the early 1900’s a
number of researchers revisited or
rediscovered his works and Mendel’s laws
went on to lay the foundation for what
we now know as genetics number 8 Oscar
Wilde similar to Melville Oscar Wilde
experienced some success and recognition
during his lifetime in the 1890s after
years spent as a journalist editor and
author of essays short stories poetry
and fiction he wrote a number of
successful plays including The
Importance of Being Earnest an instant
hit I realized for the first time in my
life of vital importance being honest
despite his late career success legal
battles over his homosexuality resulted
in him serving a two-year prison
sentence after which he spent his final
years as a penniless exile in France
much of his work went unappreciated upon
initial publishing most notably the
picture
of Dorian Gray which was dismissed as
immoral homoeroticism but his collected
works life story and poetically tragic
deaths earned him significantly greater
fame posthumously a Fame that grew
exponentially in later decades
patriotism is a venture of the bishops
according to us a wild number 7 HP
Lovecraft aside from Stephen King there
is likely no bigger name in horror than
Lovecraft but in his lifetime the
reclusive self-conscious author never
earned so much as a modest living from
his written work which were relegated to
the pages of pulp magazine his work was
recognized within small circles of
writers however and over the years an
appreciation of his writing by other
authors in the genre went on to
establish him as a father figure in
horror culture his influence has grown
so great since his death that
Lovecraftian horror is a sub-genre of
it’s very own
things much older than Earth are gazing
upon us with indifference his creations
and mythos such as Cthulhu have worked
their way into the very fabric of pop
culture and are now seen in anime film
television tabletop games music and
video games
the rise of Cthulhu from another
dimension brings about 3,000 years of
Darkness table number 6 Edgar Allan Poe
unappreciated though he was Lovecraft
often cited Poe as one of his major
influences hoes work is particularly
notable for being at once terrifying and
get undeniably beautiful a rare quality
in contemporary horror he spent most of
his adult life in relative poverty
supplementing his income by writing for
journals and periodicals this work
earned him a reputation as a respected
literary critic but these circles were
small his only truly successful work in
his own lifetime was the Raven and my
soul from out that shadow that lies
floating on the floor
shall be lifted posthumously his poetry
and short fiction work was translated
into French where it became quite
popular before spreading across the
globe
additionally Poe is also credited with
having invented the detective fiction
genre without ever naming it number 5
Galileo Galilei the Inquisition what a
time to be alive
is of Spanish Inquisition Galileo is a
household name nowadays but in his own
lifetime he was repeatedly subjected to
censorship and forced to recant his
scientific statements spending the
better part of his final decade under
house arrest but Alejo laid out his
theories about the earth revolved in
wrong with him
gregor mendel might have been the father
of modern genetics but galileo has been
called the father of science by the
likes of Stephen Hawking
and Albert Einstein yes science his
contributions to the fields of astronomy
engineering and physics were
immeasurable sadly during his own
lifetime the church suppressed much of
his work deeming it heresy in the years
after his death however his band works
were steadily released allowing the full
impact of his discoveries to be felt by
the scientific world number four Emily
Dickinson although a few of Emily
Dickinson’s poems were published during
her lifetime they were heavily edited
and in some cases were even published
anonymously she was a prolific writer
until her death at the age of 55 but
kept the majority of her writings to
herself I hear Robbins a great way off
and waggons great way off after her
death her sister Lavinia discovered some
18-hundred poems and made it her
personal mission to see them published a
number of factors prevented this goal
from being fully realized in the ensuing
decades but from 1890 to 1945 various
edited volumes of her poetry were
released capturing the attention of
critics in 1955 her completed works were
finally published since her death Emily
Dickinson has been recognized as one of
the most important poets in American
history
green eyes she was sometimes Emily
Dickinson
number three Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Bach was certainly relatively
well known in his own time but not as a
composer Fox was a highly and widely
respected professional organ player he
didn’t keep his compositions of secret
they were simply considered too complex
and too challenging for listeners of the
musical arts interest in his music was
limited to peers or contemporary equally
focused on pushing the boundaries of
musical experimentation eventually
however the world caught up to him the
early 19th century saw Bach rise in
prominence as a composer and with an
1829 performance of a sacred oratorio
st. Matthew Passion he quickly grew into
his current status as one of the
greatest composers in history
[Music]
number two Vincent van Gogh in his
lifetime Vincent van Gogh was a prolific
painter creating around 2100 works in
just over 10 years but he only succeeded
and selling a single painting in his own
lifetime considered to be insane and a
failure of an artist partly because of
that whole ear thing he took his own
life at the age of 37
it was truly post death in addition to a
substantial contributions to modern art
as we know it his dramatic life and
death have helped shape the romanticized
depiction of the tortured artist and the
notion that one should suffer for their
art before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions
well walden is antithetical to despite
everything we think in the world now you
know Franz Kafka’s stories do indeed
deal with many mundane and absurd
aspects of modern bureaucracy are the
creations of Stieg Larsson a Swedish
journalist and first-time novelist who
didn’t live to see the phenomenon his
books would become number one and Frank
even on this list and Frank is truly
unique she died at the tender age of 15
in a German concentration camp and yet
her writing a simple diary has gone on
to become one of the most famous
publications ever written between 1942
and 1944
it chronicles an time in hiding with her
family before their capture and
transportation to Auschwitz in her diary
which was recovered by her father the
only surviving member of her family
after World War two
she wrote about her dreams of becoming a
journalist although atrocious acts of
genocide kept her from realizing that
dream the one piece of writing she did
pen in her short life has made her one
of the most famous nonfiction writers in
history do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos
every day
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