Persons of the Century

[Хahar 🤔]

But still...Churchill...

*Best Churchill voice*

Yes, what of it?

I'm too lazy to dig up Hitler pictures at the moment.

[JohnFKennedy]

Just thought I'd throw in a few more names for the sixteenth century to buck the predictable trend of Martin Luther: Charles V or Suleiman the Magnificent.

There are also far too many mentions of Elizabeth I; William Cecil, Lord Burghley was far more important for the English polity.

[Flying Dog]

I would argue against Charlemagne. True he did build up a impressive empire in a time where feudalism was ramped and the Kings were weak. However, his empire largely dissolved after his death between three of his sons who were weak rulers.

[Torie]

There was a book that was published back in the 1970's that created quite a buzz listing the 100 most influential persons in history. From that list, if I have my dates right, here is the list of the most influential for each of the last 6 centuries:

20th Einstein
19th Pasteur
18th Lavoisier
17th Newton
16th Luther
15th Gutenberg

[Јas]

Bracketed are honourable mentions...

20th: Francis Crick & James Watson
19th: Charles Darwin
18th: Adam Smith [Edward Jenner]
17th: Galileo Galilei [Isaac Newton]
16th: Martin Luther
15th: Leonardo da Vinci [Johannes Gutenberg]
14th: Osman I
13th: Genghis Khan [Thomas Aquinas]
12th: Saladin
11th: Urban II [Ibn al-Haytham]
10th: Otto I
9th: Charlemagne
8th: Charles Martel
7th: Muhammad
6th: Justinian
5th: Attila
4th: Constantine I
3rd: Diocletian
2nd: Ptolomy
1st: Paul
1st BC: Julius Caesar [Augustus]
2nd BC: Wu
3rd BC: Euclid
4th BC: Aristotle [Alexander]
5th BC: Socrates [Darius I]
6th BC: Gautama Buddha [Confucius]
7th BC: Thales
8th BC: Homer
9th BC: Dido
10th BC: Solomon
11th BC: Saul
12th BC: Menelaus
13th BC: Moses
14th BC: Tutankhamun
15th BC: Thutmose III
16th BC: Ahmose I
17th BC: Cheng Tang
18th BC: Hammurabi
19th BC: Abraham
20th BC: OK, now I give up...

[Wakie]

Person of the 20th century has to go to Leo Szilard.  He conceived the nuclear chain reaction and drafted the original letter to FDR (Einstein and others were only signers).  If any one man can be said to responsible for the invention of the Atomic Bomb (which has to stand as the single most defining moment of the 20th century) it is Leo Szilard.

[Јas]

Atlas Persons of the Century

20th: Adolf Hitler [43%]
19th: Napoleon Bonaparte [29%]
18th: Peter I of Russia, Adam Smith & George Washington [tied 20%]
17th: Galileo Galilei & Isaac Netwon [tied 27%]
16th: Martin Luther & William Shakespeare [tied 36%]
15th: Johannes Gutenburg [53%]
14th: Tamerlane [33%]
13th: Genghis Khan [75%]
12th: Genghis Khan [50%]
11th: Pope Urban II & William I of England [tied 43%]
10th: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor [86%]
9th: Charlemagne [67%]
8th: Charlemagne [50%]
7th: Mohammed [No other nominations]
6th: Justinian I, Emporer of the Eastern Roman Empire [85%]
5th: Attila the Hun [82%]
4th: Constantine I, Roman Emperor [No other nominations]
3rd: ...