Most important/significant people in human history

[molson]

I think in our modern, more peaceful times, the thinkers and the entrepreneurs are definitely our most important and significant people. But that's just because our world is so relatively stable and growing smaller all the time. Innovations can change the lives of billions.

But historically, I don't think they can stand up with population-changing events like the Mongol invasions. It's hard to even imagine what a modern equivalent of that would be. The deaths of a few hundred million people, the elimination of many states and peoples, and of all the influences those states and peoples would have had with each other. Some surviving peoples and cultures would be completely cut off from each other, and others might be connected for the first time. I think the significance of thinkers and entrepreneurs is greatly reduced when that's going on.

[Subby]

Oprah

[britrock88]

Surprised I hadn't thought of Shakespeare before reading his name in the thread.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by britrock88

Surprised I hadn't thought of Shakespeare before reading his name in the thread.

He wrote a lot of plays and poems. Some of them pretty good. Might be worth checking out sometime.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

Lorenzo di Medici

[Drake]

Ur mom.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

He wrote a lot of plays and poems. Some of them pretty good. Might be worth checking out sometime.

I've only read 26 of the plays.

[revrew]

Originally Posted by finketr

Eve?

Ah, shoot. I missed my chance. Though you could argue that any number of Eve's sons and daughters would have succumbed to the same temptation, if you accept the biblical account (which, I know, like 3 people on this entire board do), she trumps the heck out of Plato, Hitler, Alexander, Caesar or even Muhammed. She brought this little thing called "death" into the world.

Put her on my previous list, right after Jesus, and drop Hitler.

Among other women in history ... I could only think of adding Queen Elizabeth of England, but she doesn't make top 5.

[Abe Sargent]

Qin Shihuangdi anyone?

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by molson

I think in our modern, more peaceful times, the thinkers and the entrepreneurs are definitely our most important and significant people. But that's just because our world is so relatively stable and growing smaller all the time. Innovations can change the lives of billions.

But historically, I don't think they can stand up with population-changing events like the Mongol invasions. It's hard to even imagine what a modern equivalent of that would be. The deaths of a few hundred million people, the elimination of many states and peoples, and of all the influences those states and peoples would have had with each other. Some surviving peoples and cultures would be completely cut off from each other, and others might be connected for the first time. I think the significance of thinkers and entrepreneurs is greatly reduced when that's going on.

The Mongol invasion drastically changed the course of history. The Mongols, of course, razed Baghdad, the center of Muslim learning, TWICE. A lot of the anti-intellectual seeds were sown after the Mongols destroyed the institutes of learning in the Islamic world and we are still dealing with the consequences of that.

[JPhillips]

Hell, just the sheer number of people that can trace their genes directly back to Genghis is remarkable. The estimate I've seen is @16 million men.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

The Mongol invasion drastically changed the course of history. The Mongols, of course, razed Baghdad, the center of Muslim learning, TWICE. A lot of the anti-intellectual seeds were sown after the Mongols destroyed the institutes of learning in the Islamic world and we are still dealing with the consequences of that.

It was after Genghis Khan's time, but the threat of a Mongol invasion was one of the reasons that the Chinese abandoned expeditions with their treasure fleets, ships that put western ships to fame. The world would look incredibly different if the Chinese had decided to use the ships for exploration and colonialism instead of isolating themselves.

[dzilla77]

Originally Posted by NorvTurnerOverdrive

Lorenzo di Medici

This - if you are talking about art, he was the most important patron of the renaissance.

But I agree with too many sub categories.

I would argue you could include Marie Curie on the list as well because her research laid the ground work for the technology that shaped the entire geo-political scene of the latter half of the 20th century through today.

[QuikSand]

Sorry to sound sexist here, but your Elizabeth I and Marie Curie and Joan of Arc all make intriguing debates for the "Top 100" list or somesuch, but if we're debating the top handful of most important/influential human beings...then this might as well be the he-man women-hater's club. There's no woman who is even in this conversation, sorry.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Which women belong in the discussion?

Yo mama

Now get off women. I just got off yours.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

On a serious note, Yassir Arafat should come in there somewhere as he pretty much popularized terrorism as we know it today.