Authors born in 1856
- A. Lawrence Lowell Educator, 1856
- Aaron David Gordon Philosopher, 1856
- Abbott Lawrence Lowell Educator, 1856
- Ahad Ha'am Essayist, 1856
- Andrew Seth Pringle-Pattison Philosopher, 1856
- Arthur Twining Hadley Economist, 1856
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak Teacher, 1856
- Ben Sayers Athlete, 1856
- Booker T. Washington Educator, 1856
- Cargill Gilston Knott Physicist, 1856
- Carl Ewald Novelist, 1856
- Charles Frohman Theatrical Producer, 1856
- Charles Melville Hays President, 1856
- Charles V. Chapin Doctor, 1856
- Edmund Beecher Wilson Zoologist, 1856
- Elbert Hubbard Writer, 1856
- Elisabeth Marbury Theatrical Producer, 1856
- Emil Kraepelin Psychiatrist, 1856
- Ernest Howard Crosby Author, 1856
- Frank B. Kellogg Lawyer, 1856
- Frederick W. Taylor Engineer, 1856
- George Bernard Shaw Playwright, 1856
- George Hodges Theologian, 1856
- Georgi Plekhanov Philosopher, 1856
- H. Rider Haggard Writer, 1856
- Heber J. Grant Religious Leader, 1856
- John Cotton Dana Librarian, 1856
- John Edward Redmond Politician, 1856
- John Singer Sargent Artist, 1856
- Kate Douglas Wiggin Author, 1856
- Keir Hardie Politician, 1856
- L. Frank Baum Journalist, 1856
- Louis D. Brandeis Lawyer, 1856
- Louis Sullivan Architect, 1856
- Nikola Tesla Inventor, 1856
- Pud Galvin Baseball Player, 1856
- R. A. Torrey Evangelist, 1856
- R. C. Lehmann Writer, 1856
- Sigmund Freud Psychologist, 1856
- Timothy Thomas Fortune Orator, 1856