The End of an Era

These individuals often found themselves as the final living links to ancient dynasties, unique languages, or specialized professions that the modern world simply outgrew. While it sounds a bit heavy to be the "last" of anything, many of these figures lived incredibly vibrant lives despite their solitary status in the history books. With that in mind, here are 20 figures who made history as the last of their kind.

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1. Ishi

As the final member of the Yahi people in California, Ishi emerged from the wilderness in 1911 and spent his remaining years teaching anthropologists about his culture. Through his passing, we learned a great deal about life in America before the West was won. Modern historians can thank him for providing crucial insight into his culture and background.

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2. Puyi

Between living as Emperor for years and then working as a gardener, you could say he literally stood between ancient and modern China. Puyi, the Last Emperor of China, was a citizen of one of the largest nations in the world by the time he passed on.

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3. Marie Smith Jones

When Marie passed away in 2008, she was the very last native speaker of the Eyak language from Alaska. She spent much of her later life working tirelessly to document the vocabulary and grammar so the tongue wouldn't be forgotten forever. Marie Smith Jones lived her life shouldering the burden of preventing her language from becoming extinct.

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4. Last of the Romanovs

Grand Duchess Anastasia was said to be alive for many years, but remains our beacon for the end of the Russian monarchy. When she and her family passed, they took with them one of the oldest reigning dynasties in world history. You know her story thanks to countless movies that took creative license with her fate.

Romanov family on Wikimedia

5. Bo the Ewe

She was the last of her tribe and carried around knowledge of a unique 65,000-year-old culture with her. 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’s amazing to think that a single person could be the sole repository for such a massive stretch of human experience.

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6. The Last Samurai

Saigo Takamori is often cited as the individual who led the final stand of the traditional samurai class against the modernizing forces of Japan. His rebellion in 1877 signaled the end of a warrior elite that had dominated Japanese society for nearly a millennium. You can see his legacy in the way the world still romanticizes the concept of the honorable warrior today.

Ishikawa Shizumasa (1848-1925) on Wikimedia

7. Truganini

Often identified as the last full-blooded Palawa woman of Tasmania, Truganini lived through a period of immense colonial upheaval. The struggles she faced as one of the last Tasmanian Aboriginal people are well documented. During her life, Truganini did what she could to ensure her people still received rights that many others didn’t know they were entitled to.

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8. The Last Beothuk

Thought to be the last of her tribe, Shawnadithit used her final years to document what life was like for the Beothuk people. In her later years, she sketched and recounted tales about her life so people would remember after she was gone. You have to respect her dedication to helping others learn about her people.

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9. Constantine XI Palaiologos

The final Byzantine Emperor tragically passed away during the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire. Constantine lived out his final days fighting to defend the remainder of his empire that lasted over 1,000 years. Many historians view his passing as the true point in time where the Middle Ages came to an end.

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10. The Last American WWI Veteran

Frank Buckles was the final American veteran of World War I, otherwise known as the Great War. By the time of his passing, he was the last surviving connection to the first major conflict that affected the world on such a large scale.

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11. Fanny Cochrane Smith

Although there was debate about her lineage, Fanny is widely recognized for making the only existing sound recordings of Tasmanian Aboriginal songs. Her voice, captured on wax cylinders, is the only way we can hear the music of her ancestors today. You're basically listening to a ghost of a culture every time those scratchy recordings are played in a museum.

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12. The Last Janissary

Janissaries were special warriors in Turkey who eventually had to be removed by the Sultan. After losing favor with the government, many of the last Janissaries lived out their lives in hiding or under new identities. Either way, finding the literal last one is next to impossible now.

G. Jansoone on Wikimedia

13. Atahualpa

As the last sovereign emperor of the Inca Empire, Atahualpa’s capture by Spanish conquistadors changed the course of South American history forever. His execution meant the end of an incredibly advanced civilization. You can still visit the "Ransom Room" in Peru where he spent his final days trying to buy his freedom.

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14. Mohammad Al-Zawahiri

The title of "Caliph" has been claimed by many throughout history. The longest-serving and latest to claim the title was Mohammad Al-Zawahiri. As the last Caliph of the Ottoman Empire, he held the title right up until the empire was dissolved by Turkish law.

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15. The Last Civil War Widow

Maudie Hopkins didn't pass away until 2008, which seems impossible until you realize she married a much older veteran when she was very young. She was the last person receiving a pension related to the American Civil War, bridging a gap of over 140 years. It’s a strange quirk of history that a conflict from the 1860s still had a direct financial link to the 21st century.

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16. Bua Kyerematen

Regarded as the last native speaker of the now-extinct Esselen language in California. When Bua passed, she took with her a unique way of describing the world around her that we will never know. You can see why linguists are so passionate about recording these final speakers before their knowledge vanishes.

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17. The Last Molly Maguires

The Molly Maguires were a secret society of coal miners from Ireland who lived and worked in Pennsylvania. After several were executed following trials, many hid their identities and cut off all ties with the group. Either way, they aren’t around anymore.

Janet Lindenmuth from Wilmington, Delaware, USA on Wikimedia

18. Romulus Augustulus

History buffs often point to this teenager as the final Western Roman Emperor who was deposed in 476 AD. While the empire had been crumbling for a while, his removal from power is the traditional "end date" for ancient Rome. You could say he was the person who finally closed the door on a crucial civilization.

Bernhard Mörlins (B. Moerlins) on Wikimedia

19. The Last Shogun

Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned his post in 1867, ending a military dictatorship that had kept Japan isolated and stable for over 250 years. When he gave up his power, feudal Japan began to embrace more modern ideals and changed forever. He was the last official Shogun of Japan and one of the people who ended that era.

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20. Martha the Passenger Pigeon

While not a human, Martha is the most famous "last of her kind" in history because her passing was recorded to the exact minute. She passed away in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914, marking the extinction of a bird species that once numbered in the billions.

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