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21 People Who Died Thinking They Were A Failure, But Were Judged Otherwise By History
Innovative ideas are not always appreciated in time. History is full of examples of people whose work was rejected, vilified, or simply mocked, only to achieve notoriety shortly after the creator’s death. Redditor recently bob_the_blacksmith he asked, “Who died believing themselves to have failed, only to be judged otherwise by history?” and the answers will make you rethink how you view the wonderful people around you.
1. “Kotoku WamuraThe mayor of Fudai village built a massive and expensive tsunami defense wall and gate system. Fudai was rescued when the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami hit in 2011. “Sadly, Wakura died in 1997 without knowing how many people had been saved by flood protection.”
“While all the townspeople were outraged at the waste of tax dollars, he went well over budget to add extra height to the walls. Only one person died in 2011, a fisherman who went out to check his boat.” —u/Sergovan
2. “Ludwig Boltzmann was a theoretical physicist and statistical mechanicsIt is necessary to understand fundamental physics today. He spent most of his life defending his theories, which were ridiculed by his peers. He died by suicide before his work was generally accepted by society and became a part of every undergraduate physics course. “The equation that defines entropy is engraved on his tombstone.”
3. “Vincent van Gogh is a classic example. He felt like he had failed his whole life, selling almost no paintings and struggling with his mental health. Today he is celebrated as one of the greatest painters in history. It’s wild when you think about it.”
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4. “Stieg Larsson (writer The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) died suddenly before the books were published. I’ve never seen them explode on a global scale. I’ve never seen the movies. I’ve never seen hundreds of millions of copies sold. “He died thinking he was a journalist with a side project.”
5. “John Kennedy Toole died by suicide when he could not publish his book. Ten years after his death, his book A Confederation of Duncespublished and won Pulitzer Prize“
6. “Alfred WegenerHe laughed at the theory of continental drift because he was considered an outsider to the scientific community. He died on an expedition without knowing whether his theory was correct.”
7. “Ignaz Semmelweis He came up with the brilliant idea that doctors should wash their hands before seeing patients, especially women in labor. He realized this before germ theory emerged and was ostracized and ridiculed by the medical community. “After contracting an infection after being beaten by guards, he suffered a mental breakdown and eventually died in a mental hospital.”
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8. “Robert E. Howard invented and created sword and sorcery fantasy Conan the Barbarian. He died by suicide at the age of 30.”
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9. “Georges Bizet died at the age of 36Thinking you have an opera, Carmenit was a failure. “After his death, it will remain one of the most frequently produced operas of all time.”
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10. “Confucius is dead He believed that his political and moral frameworks for how to live and govern harmoniously would disappear with him. “His students continued his legacy, and Confucian ideas continue to profoundly influence norms and values in East Asia.”
11. “Jonathan Larson, creator of the musical Rent, died hours before the show’s premiere. “It’s not quite the same thing, you might say, but he didn’t live to see his work recognized as the most successful musical of its age and to know how many people were truly touched by his work.”
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13. “Bill Finger his artistic reputation was betrayed by Bob Kane and died penniless. He is now remembered as the co-creator of Batman“
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14. “Egbert Sen was a Pakistani-born British musician who earned extra money working as an extra in British-made film and TV in the 70s and 80s. One of these cameo roles was as a man in an orange jumpsuit being hastily evacuated from Cloud City. The Empire Strikes Back. He died in 2019 without ever reaching fame. Was completely unaware of this A minor character can become a huge cult hit among Star Wars fansjust because he ran holding it in his hand ice cream He’s a producer as if his livelihood depended on it. “He was completely unaware that this character would have a trading card, an action figure that is often cosplayed by fans.”
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15. “Aaron Swartz was the co-founder of Reddit and died by suicide after the federal government filed a slew of criminal charges against him for downloading JSTOR content.Today, he is considered a martyr by many people.“
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16. “F. Scott Fitzgerald died penniless, his novel The Great GatsbyIt would go on to become the quintessential Great American Novel.”
“One of the most important reasons The Great Gatsby Why it has become one of the Great American Novels US military included replicas in GI rations during World War IIand suddenly everyone loved this thing.”
17. “Toussaint Louverture, leader of the Haitian revolutionHe did not necessarily consider himself a failure, but he did not live to see the consequences of the slave rebellion he led. France. He died in a French prison.”
18. “Alan Turing suffered criminal persecution“He was stripped of his dignity and died thinking he was a disgrace, when in fact he helped save millions of lives and laid the foundation for modern computers.”
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19. “Ada Lovelace was a genius mathematician who invented computer programming in adolescence. He worked on the designs of the first computer through correspondence with Charles Babbage. Both died before the technology to make real computers was developed. Babbage had many other achievements to his name, but Lovelace turned to drinking and gambling and died without ever knowing how important his contribution to the world would be.”
20. “Ralph Wood He was the architect behind Causey Arch, completed in 1726 and at the time the largest single-span bridge in the world. It remained that way for the next 30 years. At its peak, over 900 horse-drawn trucks passed through here every day! However, Ralph believed that the arch would collapse, and in 1727 he jumped from the arch to his death. It still stands today.”
21. “Civil War Wounded Dr. John S. Pemberton While trying to treat his own illness, he became addicted to morphine. So he invented a drink that would help cure his addiction. He sold the formula to a business partner and died poor and unknown. His drinking did not go unnoticed; today it’s called Coca-Cola.”
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Can you think of other people who died without seeing their deeds appreciated by the masses? Share them in the comments below or in anonymous form.
Note: Answers have been edited for length/clarity.
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