December 5, 201312 yr What do you think of their list? The article link is at the bottom. My gut says Julius Caesar my be a little too low but I will need to put more thought into it. I would say Jesus is a no brainer. Even an atheist would have to admit if someone can start a religion that grew the way His did and it survives for 2,000 years, that is pretty significant. Some may say three British Monarchs is too much but those three definitely had a large influence on the world. While Pres Lincoln had a major affect on the US, I wonder how much of that affect was felt outside of the US? Pres Washington's affect was felt primarily in the US but the fact that he lead a group of colonies against the largest army in the world at that time obviously had some international feel to it. Not sure how much of Jefferson's influence went outside of US borders. Should Winston Churchill be on the list somewhere? 1. Jesus 2. Napoleon 3. Mohammed 4. William Shakespeare 5. Abraham Lincoln 6. George Washington 7. Adolf Hitler 8. Aristotle 9. Alexander the Great 10. Thomas Jefferson 11. Henry VIII 12. Charles Darwin 13. Elizabeth I 14. Karl Marx 15. Julius Caesar 16. Queen Victoria 17. Martin Luther 18. Joseph Stalin 19. Albert Einstein 20. Christopher Columbus Here is the link Ranking Historical Figures: Skiena and Ward's "Who's Bigger?" Reviewed | New Republic
December 5, 201312 yr Julius Caesar was certainly influential, but truthfully he was just the last in a string of dictators in the troubled late republican years. From the standpoint of Rome and it's legacy across history, I'd argue that his heir was actually the more influential. Octavian figured out how to push through his reforms to Roman governance while keeping up republican appearances. He also instituted the actual changes that would dictate the course of the burgeoning empire for the next three centuries. As far as the permanent direction of Rome after the late republic, Octavian had far more influence that his adoptive father. I'd also argue for Cicero. His notes on law and governance, much adopted from Plato and Aristotle, were rediscovered in the Renaissance and became a huge foundation for the political thought of the late Renaissance and into the modern era and birth of modern democracy. I'm a great fan of Cicero and I think I can make a good case for his being the greatest Roman of all due to his influence across the centuries.
December 5, 201312 yr Author Julius Caesar was certainly influential, he was the last in a string of dictators in the troubled late republican years. From the standpoint of Rome and it's legacy across history, I'd argue that his heir was actually the more influential. Octavian figured out how to push through his reforms to Roman governance while keeping up republican appearances. He also instituted the actual changes that would dictate the course of the burgeoning empire for the next three centuries. As far as the permanent direction of Rome after the late republic, Octavian had far more influence that his adoptive father. I'd also argue for Cicero. His notes on law and governance, much adopted from Plato and Aristotle, were rediscovered in the Renaissance and became a huge foundation for the political thought of the late Renaissance and into the modern era and birth of modern democracy. I'm a great fan of Cicero and I think I can make a good case for his being the greatest Roman of all due to his influence across the centuries. Good point on Augustus Caesar. Had Julius Caesar not been assassinated, he may have made such reforms but, he was assassinated and Augustus made the reforms. When it comes to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, I believe one of those three belong on the list but do you think Aristotle wins out so to speak?
December 5, 201312 yr I'll have to peruse the list again, but I didn't see my name at first glance, therefore it is a hoax!
December 5, 201312 yr Gutenberg? Whatever his first name is. Printing press guy. Edison? Abraham? I'd go with Tesla over Edison.
December 5, 201312 yr No one from the far east? Genghis Khan? Mao Zedong? Confucius. That guy that invented paper...wasn't he Chinese?
December 5, 201312 yr General Tso I do really enjoy his chicken and it has made a big impact on my life.
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