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Most influential people of all-time

Who is the most influential person of all-time?


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    22

Kandahar

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I made a thread about the most influential people of the 20th century, and I got lots of interesting responses. So I thought I'd do the same thing for ALL of history. Who do you consider the most influential people in history? Here is my top 10 list right now:

1. Johannes Gutenberg (For the invention of the printing press, which made it possible to effectively communicate and store information over long distances and periods of time)
2. Hammurabi
(For creating the concept of a written rule of law, to which people were held accountable)
3. Jesus Christ (For the funding of Christianity)
4. Isaac Newton (For establishing modern physics and calculus)
5. Christopher Columbus (For discovering the New World, and ushering in the age of exploration and globalism)
6. Mohammed (For the founding of Islam)
7. Siddhartha Gautama (For the founding of Buddhism)
8. Charles Darwin (For establishing the theory of evolution and natural selection, which is the foundation of virtually all of modern biology and pharmacology)
9. Adam Smith (For the theory of capitalism and free markets, which has led to an explosion of prosperity and scientific progress around the world)
10. Confucius (For the founding of Confucian philosophy)



Who else do you think belongs on this list? Who do you think is overrated? I'm curious to hear some other thoughts on this.
 
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I like it, but I'm wanting a mention for Constantine, Julius Caesar, and many others who were involved in ruling.
 
Christopher Columbus wasn't the first to discover the New World. IMO he is overrated.
 
You could definitely make a strong case for any of those plus about 50 others, but I'll go with Jesus. Regardless about how much of the New Testament is true, Christianity has influenced just so much over the last two millenniums, I think he has to top it. But really all those people were so influential, its hard to tell which is greater.
 
Christopher Columbus wasn't the first to discover the New World.

This is true. But he was the first one to make the Old World aware of the New World's existence, which had pretty drastic consequences on both hemispheres IMO.
 
I had to go with Hammurabi. Written laws is something that has been an integral part of almost every society since.
 
I'd just like to thank you for not including that asshole Steve Jobs.
 
I votes Jesus, but he was not the founder of Christianity.
 
Gutenberg, Newton, and Darwin would be my top 3. I was tempted to reverse the order, but realized that the former enabled the others to put forth their contributions with greater ease and broadened scope.
 
John Lennon
char/10
 
I'd vote for Lorenzo d'Medici because he was the banker that financed the prolific movers of the Italian Renaissance including Leonardo DaVinci, Raphael, Michaelangelo, etc.
 
I made a thread about the most influential people of the 20th century, and I got lots of interesting responses. So I thought I'd do the same thing for ALL of history. Who do you consider the most influential people in history? Here is my top 10 list right now:

1. Johannes Gutenberg (For the invention of the printing press, which made it possible to effectively communicate and store information over long distances and periods of time)
2. Hammurabi
(For creating the concept of a written rule of law, to which people were held accountable)
3. Jesus Christ (For the funding of Christianity)
4. Isaac Newton (For establishing modern physics and calculus)
5. Christopher Columbus (For discovering the New World, and ushering in the age of exploration and globalism)
6. Mohammed (For the founding of Islam)
7. Siddhartha Gautama (For the founding of Buddhism)
8. Charles Darwin (For establishing the theory of evolution and natural selection, which is the foundation of virtually all of modern biology and pharmacology)
9. Adam Smith (For the theory of capitalism and free markets, which has led to an explosion of prosperity and scientific progress around the world)
10. Confucius (For the founding of Confucian philosophy)



Who else do you think belongs on this list? Who do you think is overrated? I'm curious to hear some other thoughts on this.

I think your list is way wrong. Most who founded religions should not be on any list except those that deserve a strong beating for ruining the modern world. But then again, human ways was bound to ruin it anyways.

And I think one of the most important persons you forgot to mention was Nikola Tesla. He came up with wireless communication and the electrical grid and radio that you take for granted.

There are like 12 people off my mind that made bigger contribution then 9 of yours.
 
Charles Manson, I met him once before he did his thing because my uncle was in the same music scene. When he looked into my eyes I felt like I had been mind raped, still gives me the creeps.

Did he have that much of an impact or did reflection after the crime embellish it?
 
I think your list is way wrong. Most who founded religions should not be on any list except those that deserve a strong beating for ruining the modern world. But then again, human ways was bound to ruin it anyways.

And I think one of the most important persons you forgot to mention was Nikola Tesla. He came up with wireless communication and the electrical grid and radio that you take for granted.

There are like 12 people off my mind that made bigger contribution then 9 of yours.

Tesla is minuscule in comparison to the religious leaders and founders of world history. Don't let your bias cloud the obvious judgment about influence.
 
I think your list is way wrong. Most who founded religions should not be on any list except those that deserve a strong beating for ruining the modern world. But then again, human ways was bound to ruin it anyways.

"Influential people" don't necessarily have to have a positive impact on the world. And I think it's a bit hard to deny that major religious leaders played a major role in shaping cultures all around the world.

And I think one of the most important persons you forgot to mention was Nikola Tesla. He came up with wireless communication and the electrical grid and radio that you take for granted.

I think you've just been reading The Oatmeal today. ;)
All kidding aside, Tesla was important, but the fact that he's so recent reduces his influence IMO. The farther into the past you go, the easier it is to see the ultimate impact of a person's accomplishments...that's why the most recent person on my list was Charles Darwin, who made his biggest accomplishment 153 years ago. For that matter, I didn't even include Tesla in my top 10 of the 20th century.

There are like 12 people off my mind that made bigger contribution then 9 of yours.

Like who?
 
I think your list is way wrong. Most who founded religions should not be on any list except those that deserve a strong beating for ruining the modern world. But then again, human ways was bound to ruin it anyways.

And I think one of the most important persons you forgot to mention was Nikola Tesla. He came up with wireless communication and the electrical grid and radio that you take for granted.

There are like 12 people off my mind that made bigger contribution then 9 of yours.

Tesla did build the first cell phone tower and he has not been given proper credit for AC while people look the other way while Edison electrocuted cats and dogs to discredit Tesla.
 
Did he have that much of an impact or did reflection after the crime embellish it?

I don't think he had a huge impact, it just freaked me out meeting him and I'm sorry I posted that. Sometimes I just say the first thing that comes to my mind, I'm trying to quit.:lol: He had seriously weird eyes though. They sucked you in.
 
Like who?
Well there is Constantine, Ghenis Khan, Joan of Arc, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, Attila the Hun, Me.....ok last one was not a real answer.
 
I had to go with Hammurabi. Written laws is something that has been an integral part of almost every society since.

Actually he wasn't first or even the oldest. Nonetheless a good example of early written law.
 
I don't think he had a huge impact, it just freaked me out meeting him and I'm sorry I posted that. Sometimes I just say the first thing that comes to my mind, I'm trying to quit.:lol: He had seriously weird eyes though. They sucked you in.

I was just curious. I heard he was a rather small guy but had an ability to command attention on certain people.
 
I was just curious. I heard he was a rather small guy but had an ability to command attention on certain people.

Thinking back, the way I felt when I met him was like the line from that Doors song, "if you give this man a ride sweet memory will die
 
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