20 Historical Figures Who Were the Last of Their Kind

Ishi, the last surviving member of the Yahi people in California, emerged from the woods in 1911 and spent the rest of his life introducing anthropologists to his culture. Thanks to him, we have learned a great deal about life in America before the conquest of the West. Historians today are grateful to him for providing them with essential information about his culture and origins.

Between his years as emperor and his work as a gardener, one could say that he literally embodied the transition from ancient China to modern China. Puyi, the last emperor of China, was a citizen of one of the world’s greatest nations at the time of his death.

When Marie passed away in 2008, she was the very last native speaker of the Eyak language in Alaska. She devoted much of her final years to working tirelessly to document the vocabulary and grammar of this language, so that it would not be lost. Marie Smith Jones lived her life bearing the heavy responsibility of preventing her language from disappearing.

It has long been claimed that Grand Duchess Anastasia was still alive, but to us she remains a symbol of the end of the Russian monarchy. When she and her family disappeared, they took with them one of the oldest ruling dynasties in world history. You are familiar with her story thanks to the countless films that have taken artistic liberties with her fate.

She was the last survivor of her tribe and carried within her the knowledge of a unique culture dating back 65,000 years. When Bo, the last known Ewe woman, passed away, historians noted that one of the oldest human cultures had finally come to an end. It is incredible to think that a single person could be the sole custodian of such a vast body of human experience.

Saigo Takamori is often regarded as the leader of the traditional samurai class’s final resistance against Japan’s modernizing forces. His rebellion in 1877 marked the end of a warrior elite that had dominated Japanese society for nearly a millennium. His legacy is still evident today in the way the world continues to idealize the figure of the honorable warrior.

Often regarded as the last woman of pure Palawa descent in Tasmania, Truganini lived through a period of profound colonial upheaval. The hardships she faced as one of the last Aboriginal women in Tasmania are well documented. Throughout her life, Truganini did everything in her power to ensure that her people continued to enjoy rights that many others were unaware they were entitled to.

Considered the last surviving member of her tribe, Shawnadithit devoted her final years to recounting the life of the Beothuk people. Toward the end of her life, she drew pictures and told stories about her life so that people would remember her after she was gone. One cannot help but respect her dedication to sharing the story of her people with others.

The last Byzantine emperor died tragically during the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire. Constantine spent his final days fighting to defend what remained of his empire, which had lasted more than a thousand years. Many historians consider his death to be the true end of the Middle Ages.

Frank Buckles was the last American veteran of World War I, also known as the “Great War.” At the time of his death, he was the last living witness to that first major conflict that shook the world on such a massive scale.

Although her ancestry has been the subject of debate, Fanny is widely recognized for having made the only existing sound recordings of Tasmanian Aboriginal songs. Her voice, captured on wax cylinders, is the only way we have today to hear the music of her ancestors. In fact, every time these crackling recordings are played in a museum, you are listening to the ghost of a culture.

The Janissaries were elite warriors in Turkey who were eventually disbanded by the sultan. After falling out of favor with the government, many of the last Janissaries spent their final days in hiding or under new identities. In any case, it is now virtually impossible to track down the very last of them.

As the last sovereign emperor of the Inca Empire, Atahualpa’s capture by the Spanish conquistadors forever changed the course of South American history. His execution marked the end of an incredibly advanced civilization. Even today, visitors can see the “Hall of Ransoms” in Peru, where he spent his final days trying to buy his freedom.

Throughout history, many have claimed the title of “caliph.” The most recent to do so—and the one who held it the longest—was Mohammad Al-Zawahiri. As the last caliph of the Ottoman Empire, he retained this title until the empire was dissolved by Turkish law.

Maudie Hopkins did not die until 2008, which seems impossible unless you know that she had married, when she was very young, a veteran much older than herself. She was the last person to receive a pension related to the Civil War, thus bridging a gap of more than 140 years. It is a curious coincidence of history that a conflict from the 1860s still had a direct financial link to the 21st century.

She was considered the last native speaker of the now-extinct Esselene language in California. When Bua passed away, she took with her a unique way of describing the world around her—one that we will never know. It’s easy to see why linguists are so committed to recording these last speakers before their knowledge disappears.

The Molly Maguires were a secret society made up of coal miners of Irish descent who lived and worked in Pennsylvania. After several of them were executed following their trials, many concealed their identities and severed all ties with the group. In any case, they have since disappeared.

History buffs often refer to this teenager as the last Western Roman emperor, who was deposed in 476 A.D. Although the empire had been in decline for some time already, his deposition marks the “official date” of the end of ancient Rome. One could say that he was the one who brought a major civilization to a definitive end.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned from office in 1867, bringing an end to a military dictatorship that had kept Japan isolated and stable for more than 250 years. When he abdicated, feudal Japan began to embrace more modern ideals and changed forever. He was Japan’s last official shogun and one of those who brought that era to an end.

Although she is not a human being, Martha is the most famous “last of her kind” in history, because the exact moment of her death was recorded. She died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914, marking the extinction of a bird species that once numbered in the billions.