The 100 Most Influential People of All Time
Around 10 months or so ago, i came across a book entitled The 100. It was written by Michael H. Hart, and it inspired me to make my own list. I know that some of them are controversial, and I have reviewed the list countless times, and I know it will be altered again. However, this was five months of serious work, and I hope you enjoy my work. I shall justify the top 10 soon. Note that these are based on influence alone, and I am not judging their character. Many of the people here I despise, but they were nonetheless influential.
Muhammad (570- June 8, 632)
Jesus Christ (6 B.C. – 27 A.D.)
Saint Paul of Tarsus (10?-67)
Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642- March 20, 1727)
Gautama Buddha (563 B.C.E. – 483 B.C.E.)
Confucius (traditionally September 8? 551 BCE–479 BCE)
Aristotle (384- March, 7 322 B.C.)
Constantine the Great (February 27, 272–May 22, 337)
Ts’ai Lun (c. 50-121)
Johannes Guttenberg (1400-1468)
Galileo Galilei (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642)
Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895)
Christopher Columbus (1451 – 20 May 1506)
Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955)
Moses (Fl. 1500 B.C.E.)
Charles Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882)
Euclid (c. 365-275 B.C.)
Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543)
Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14)
Qin Shi Huang Di (July 247 BC–221 BC)
Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546)
Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883)
Michael Faraday (September 22, 1791 – August 25, 1867)
Galen (131-201)
Antoine Lavoisier (August 26, 1743–May 8, 1794)
James Watt (January 19, 1736–August 19, 1819)
William T.G. Morton (August 9, 1819 - July 15, 1868)
James Clerk Maxwell (June 13, 1831 - November 5, 1879)
Wright Brothers (c.1870)
Genghis Khan (c. 1155- August 18, 1227)
Thutmose III (c.1500? B.C.E. - 1426 B.C.E.)
George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)
Plato (c. 427 BC – c. 347 BC)
Alexander the Great (late July, 356 BC–June 10, 323 BC)
Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821)
Pope Urban II (1042 - July 29, 1099)
John Locke (August 29, 1632–October 28, 1704)
Adam Smith (June 5, 1723 – July 17, 1790)
Adolph Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945)
Thoms Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931)
Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922)
King David (1085 B.C.E.- 1015 B.C.E.)
Alexander Fleming (August 6, 1881 – March 11, 1955)
Guglielmo Marconi (April 25, 1874 – July 20, 1937)
Hippocrates (c.460-380 B.C.)
King Solomon (970-928 B.C.E.)
Umar ibn al-Khattab (c. 581 - November, 644)
Edward de Vere (April 12, 1550 - June 24, 1604)
Anton van Leeuwenhoek (October 24, 1632 - August 26, 1723)
William the Conquerer (c. 1027 – September 9, 1087)
Gregor Mendel (July 22, 1822 – January 6, 1884)
Werner Heisenberg (December 5, 1901 – February 1, 1976)
John Dalton (September 6, 1766–July 27, 1844)
Asoka (c.300-c. 200 B.C.)
Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599 – September 3, 1658)
Julius Caesar (July 12, 100- March 15, 44 B.C.)
Ludwig van Beethoven (December 14 1770 – March 26, 1827)
John Calvin (July 10, 1509–May 27, 1564)
William Harvey (April 1, 1578 - June 3, 1657)
Simón Bolívar (July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830)
René Descartes (March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650)
Michelangelo Buonarroti (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564)
Lao Tzu (Fl. 450 B.C.)
Louis Daguerre (1787 - 1851)
Saint Augustine of Hippo (November 13, 354 – August 28, 430)
Max Planck (April 23, 1858 – October 4, 1947)
Edward Jenner (May 17, 1749 - January 26, 1823)
Archimedes (287 BC - 212 BC)
Nikolaus Otto (June 14, 1832 - January 28, 1891)
Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630)
Ernest Rutherford (August 30, 1871 - October 19, 1937)
Joseph Lister (April 5, 1827 – February 10, 1912)
Isabella of Castile (April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504)
Hernán Cortés (1485–December 2, 1547)
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)
Joseph Stalin (December 21, 1879 - March 5, 1953)
Francisco Pizarro (c. 1475–June 26, 1541)
Zoroaster (Zarathustra) (c. 628- c. 551 B.C.E.)
Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778)
Horace Wells (January 21, 1815 - January 24, 1848)
Carl Friedrich Gauss (April 30, 1777 - February 23, 1855)
Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939)
Nāgārjuna (c. 150 – c. 250)
Leonhard Euler (April 15, 1707 - September 18, 1783)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778)
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (March 27, 1845 – February 10, 1923)
Pierre de Fermat (August 17, 1601 – January 12, 1665)
Ben Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790)
Niccolo Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527)
Thomas Robert Malthus (February, 1766 – December 23, 1834)
Mencius (372 BC – 289 BC)
Peter the Great (9 June 1672–8 February 1725)
Vladamir Ilyich Lenin (April 22, 1870 – January 21, 1924)
Enrico Fermi (September 29, 1901 – November 28, 1954)
Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976)
Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685 – July 28, 1750)
Sui Wen Ti (541-604)
Gregory Pincus (April 9, 1903 - August 22, 1967)
Mani (210-276)
Mahavira (599 BC - 527 BC)
Charlemagne (c. 742 – January 28, 814)
Cyrus II the Great of Persia (576 - July, 529 BC)
Socrates (June 4, 470-399 B.C.)
Muhammad (570- June 8, 632)
Jesus Christ (6 B.C. – 27 A.D.)
Saint Paul of Tarsus (10?-67)
Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642- March 20, 1727)
Gautama Buddha (563 B.C.E. – 483 B.C.E.)
Confucius (traditionally September 8? 551 BCE–479 BCE)
Aristotle (384- March, 7 322 B.C.)
Constantine the Great (February 27, 272–May 22, 337)
Ts’ai Lun (c. 50-121)
Johannes Guttenberg (1400-1468)
Galileo Galilei (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642)
Louis Pasteur (December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895)
Christopher Columbus (1451 – 20 May 1506)
Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955)
Moses (Fl. 1500 B.C.E.)
Charles Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882)
Euclid (c. 365-275 B.C.)
Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543)
Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14)
Qin Shi Huang Di (July 247 BC–221 BC)
Martin Luther (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546)
Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883)
Michael Faraday (September 22, 1791 – August 25, 1867)
Galen (131-201)
Antoine Lavoisier (August 26, 1743–May 8, 1794)
James Watt (January 19, 1736–August 19, 1819)
William T.G. Morton (August 9, 1819 - July 15, 1868)
James Clerk Maxwell (June 13, 1831 - November 5, 1879)
Wright Brothers (c.1870)
Genghis Khan (c. 1155- August 18, 1227)
Thutmose III (c.1500? B.C.E. - 1426 B.C.E.)
George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)
Plato (c. 427 BC – c. 347 BC)
Alexander the Great (late July, 356 BC–June 10, 323 BC)
Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821)
Pope Urban II (1042 - July 29, 1099)
John Locke (August 29, 1632–October 28, 1704)
Adam Smith (June 5, 1723 – July 17, 1790)
Adolph Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945)
Thoms Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931)
Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922)
King David (1085 B.C.E.- 1015 B.C.E.)
Alexander Fleming (August 6, 1881 – March 11, 1955)
Guglielmo Marconi (April 25, 1874 – July 20, 1937)
Hippocrates (c.460-380 B.C.)
King Solomon (970-928 B.C.E.)
Umar ibn al-Khattab (c. 581 - November, 644)
Edward de Vere (April 12, 1550 - June 24, 1604)
Anton van Leeuwenhoek (October 24, 1632 - August 26, 1723)
William the Conquerer (c. 1027 – September 9, 1087)
Gregor Mendel (July 22, 1822 – January 6, 1884)
Werner Heisenberg (December 5, 1901 – February 1, 1976)
John Dalton (September 6, 1766–July 27, 1844)
Asoka (c.300-c. 200 B.C.)
Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599 – September 3, 1658)
Julius Caesar (July 12, 100- March 15, 44 B.C.)
Ludwig van Beethoven (December 14 1770 – March 26, 1827)
John Calvin (July 10, 1509–May 27, 1564)
William Harvey (April 1, 1578 - June 3, 1657)
Simón Bolívar (July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830)
René Descartes (March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650)
Michelangelo Buonarroti (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564)
Lao Tzu (Fl. 450 B.C.)
Louis Daguerre (1787 - 1851)
Saint Augustine of Hippo (November 13, 354 – August 28, 430)
Max Planck (April 23, 1858 – October 4, 1947)
Edward Jenner (May 17, 1749 - January 26, 1823)
Archimedes (287 BC - 212 BC)
Nikolaus Otto (June 14, 1832 - January 28, 1891)
Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630)
Ernest Rutherford (August 30, 1871 - October 19, 1937)
Joseph Lister (April 5, 1827 – February 10, 1912)
Isabella of Castile (April 22, 1451 – November 26, 1504)
Hernán Cortés (1485–December 2, 1547)
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)
Joseph Stalin (December 21, 1879 - March 5, 1953)
Francisco Pizarro (c. 1475–June 26, 1541)
Zoroaster (Zarathustra) (c. 628- c. 551 B.C.E.)
Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778)
Horace Wells (January 21, 1815 - January 24, 1848)
Carl Friedrich Gauss (April 30, 1777 - February 23, 1855)
Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939)
Nāgārjuna (c. 150 – c. 250)
Leonhard Euler (April 15, 1707 - September 18, 1783)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778)
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (March 27, 1845 – February 10, 1923)
Pierre de Fermat (August 17, 1601 – January 12, 1665)
Ben Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790)
Niccolo Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527)
Thomas Robert Malthus (February, 1766 – December 23, 1834)
Mencius (372 BC – 289 BC)
Peter the Great (9 June 1672–8 February 1725)
Vladamir Ilyich Lenin (April 22, 1870 – January 21, 1924)
Enrico Fermi (September 29, 1901 – November 28, 1954)
Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976)
Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21, 1685 – July 28, 1750)
Sui Wen Ti (541-604)
Gregory Pincus (April 9, 1903 - August 22, 1967)
Mani (210-276)
Mahavira (599 BC - 527 BC)
Charlemagne (c. 742 – January 28, 814)
Cyrus II the Great of Persia (576 - July, 529 BC)
Socrates (June 4, 470-399 B.C.)
posted by Brian Hillman at 6:06 PM
31 Comments:
why am I not on there?
what about harry truman? dropping the bomb has changed the world in countless more ways than some chinese guy who wrote a book that 5 ppl read.
the beatles should also be there. maybe they didnt conquer the world with a sword and shield but they did conquer the world with a guitar and microphone. they had the world at the mercy of every harmony and every lyric that they produced. that is influence.
oh and king leonidas of the spartans should be on the list. the battle at the hot gates saved western civilization. and plus leonidas is pimp so he should get some credit lol
it's a good list. i think that Jesus has had more influence than Muhammad though. i know that there are probably more muslims than christians in the world today, but i think that Jesus' influence on culture, religion, and just the general way of thinking was far greater than Muhammad's.
What about Leonardo Da Vinci?
I agree with this list for the most part but where is Charles Darwin, Euclid, Mother Teresa, Tim Burners-Lee and Stephan Hawkings A lot of them influenced us more than Michelangelo and some of those other artist people ever could, for example Darwin changed how we thought of spieces, Euclid invented geometry, Mother Teresa changed how we think of one another, Tim Burners-Lee invented the worldwide web and Stephan Hawking changed how we thought about all of space. Also Jesus should be first for sure, because you could go anywhere in the world and they would know who he is but I can guess that only a few people in North and South America and even in Africa would know which Muhammad you were taking about.
What about Da Vinci. Add Da Vinci. Da Vinci is the greatest.
Did you know that, over 400 years ago, Da Vinci invented the first parachute and also he had drawn blueprints for the first helicopter.
Now that's AMAZING!!!!!
Da Vinci in place of Michelangelo would be a change for the better
what about people like Tupac Shakur? Even if you did not like him, you had to admit that he was definitly one of the most influential people of all time. He has influenced a whole generation all across the world and his actions have become stuff of legend. Tupac Shakur is definitly top 50.
Itis ok that jesus has very good lessons and massages not only for christians but also for all over the world but if a person studies the history then he will realize that definitly Mohammad deserve to be at the top of list because he not only change the Arabs but also completed the massion which is started by other respective massengers of Almighty god.
Jesus should most definitely be ahead of Muhammad on your list because 33% of the world is Christian compared to 17% Muslim based on a recent poll conducted in 2006. Ghandi, Charles Darwin, and Mother Theresa should be there because they were very influential to the work of todays society. And I also think that, not that Michelangelo should be taken off of the list, but replace with Leonardo Da Vinci and moved farther down the list. Without these major changes, your list is no better than mine was five years ago. You should also consider trying to go a little farther into the future, because I noticed most of the people in your list, although great, are extremely old and could be replaced with new, more technological inventors.
Since I have come to Korea, I have learned about King Sejong and you could learn about him at koreanheros.net He would be the man behind the creation of the Korean language, hangul, perhaps the most scientific language eve made, and it may will survive all languages due to it's easy integration into computer systems. Further, as a Buddhist, his ideas permeate Korean culture today as much as the ideas of Confucious, of which he had to contend with in his day. Korean appreciation of art, music, and literature may be attributed in great part to his reign and idealism. Challenged by the status quo at evey turn, he held to his principles and has survived as a hero today. It would be great if you went back through the list and gave one or two reasons why each person has made your list. I've read some interesting things about Darwin lately and it seems his theories are being seveely questioned. It doe's not lesson his influence, however. What about Nixon. He took us to the brink of nuclear disaster and garnered a magnetic resistance that centered around the counter-culture which has had an influence greater than anyone has really been able to talk about, from the questioning of authority to our daily habits of eating organics, opposing GMO,s buying bulk, demanding corporate accountability, and raising our children to question the powers that be. Thanks!
Rather than criticize the list, do the research (sans the pop culture or 20th century bias)and come up with one of your own.
hart also had Muhammad at #1 and he gave a good reasoning... he stated that St. Paul also had a very large hand in the philosphy of christianity however the Quran was written... and has not been changed... immediatly following the death of Muhammad... also Jesus did not influence the world in a political way where as mohammad did... and some actually said they wouldn't find many people who knew muhammad in africa.... are you serious??????? theres about 490 million people who would know muhammad... 7 million in north america... and 3 million in south america... so... 50 million in europe... and im not sure how recent these figures are but if they are old im sure the current figures would be higher...
other then that i agree that di vinci should be there
oi, good list, but you could probably find some room for alfred nobel.
Joe Strummer (The Clash), if not the most influencial singer of all time, nearly every one of his songs had a statement. Think about it. If anyone is actually taking this in, listen to "safe european home" or "spanish bombs" then maybe you will agree
i agree with the list but where the hell is Diego Armando Maradona of Argentina? He was the pioneer of freestyle football we see today enjoyed around the world bringing different people, races, countries and continents together in harmony and trickery.
I think it is a fine list but you have given a lot of preference to religious leaders, politicians, and scientists, while leaving out some key writers and thinkers. Where are Homer, Shakespeare, or Joyce. Also John Keynes.
nikola tesla invented Ac current whick powers ecerything we use today and he invented the radio and hydroelectric power now thats influentual
Harry Truman should not be on there, that's why Einstein is
Not just because of all his theories, but because of his work on the Manhattan Project
I think that at least one abolitionist or civil-rights activist should have been on there, such as Lincoln, Malcolm X or Dr. King.
I also think that, if we're just talking about influence, Hitler should be higher up
Also, I must have passed him over, because I did not see Gandhi on the list, and he would be in my top ten
Other notables:
-Nelson Mandela
-Bono
-Nietzsche
Malcom X
Well, clearly your intellectual duties keep you from updating your blog or responding to people who post on your page, but in case you ever do check this again, I feel that I have something to say. I was actually writing a post in my own blog about this, but I couldnt remember the name of the author of the book, so I googled it, and this is the first thing that came up. I wanted to disput Jesus Christs low ranking. As some others have stated already, and as some others have stupidly disputed, I can understand Muhammad's ranking. Not only is he the founder and prophet of one of the biggest religions in the world, and the fastest growing might I add, he was also a military leader who took over the middle eastern world and started a campaign that was finished by later caliphs into Europe. On the other hand, while Christ was clearly very influential (and just to clear the air here, I am a devout Christian), it can be historically argued that the spread of the christian church to the gentiles was accomplished mostly by Paul. Also, Christ was never a military leader. Oh, and whoever said that "everyone" knows who Jesus Christ is obviously has no idea what they are talking about and/or has never been outside this country. Jesus Christ is almost unheard of in the far east. Almost. Historically speaking, he was a prophet, the founder of the largest religion in the world, and that is it. But, what I disagree with is his ranking below Sit Isaac Newton. Newtons influence has been far, wide, and great. The invention of calculus has opened up science never imagianable before his time, which has lead to discoveries and inventions that ease the lives of almost everyone on this planet. Also, his work with gravity and light revolutionized the way that we think about our world, and once again opened the door to many later discoveries. But I do not think that any of this outweighs Christs influence. The moral code that he laid down is now implemented into the lives of a large population of the world. Wars have been and are being fought over the truthfulness of his gospel. Consider the Inquisition! The discovery of the New World! A large portion of the people ranked below him on the list (basically anybody who was of European descent) was raised in a world that worshipped him, and thus at least a part of their accomplishments must be attributed to his influence. The Holocaust! The list goes on! Surely these outweigh Newtons influence. Anyway, that was the point that I was going to make in my blog. But you-you disgust me. You and most of the people posting to your page. You do not think about what you write. You just post for the sake of posting. Why did Benjamin Franklin and George Washington get such high boosts in your rankings? Because you are an American and have no outside perspective? Undoubtedly. Really, there impact on the world is quite minimal when compared to the great religious and political leaders of long ago. All you people who seem to think the Leonardo da Vinci is the greatest thing on two legs, what, exactly, has been his influence on your life, other than that you had to write an essay about him in fifth grade, and his names pretty cool, and I guess he thought of some cool stuff, oh, and that Ninja Turtle is named after him. Seriously, da Vinci was ahead of his time, so his influence is limited. Historically, we look back on him as one of the most talented and skilled men ever born, but his influence is very limited. Michelangelo, on the other hand, revolutionized the art world. He was a prodigy who came to embody the very essence of the Renaissance. If you cannot see that than you do not know what you are talking about. Darwin and Euclid were on the list. Seriously people, read before you write. I do not think that it is fair to attribute the invention of the web to one man. Leonidas did not save western civilization. There would have been a nuclear arms race with or without Harry Truman. The rest of the suggestions by some of these people are either too stupid to recognize (Tupac?) or actually make sense (Stephan Hawking) but Im not going to take the time to recognize all of that. Basically, I hope that all of you realize that this list is about influence on the world.
personally i think tupac shakur, leonardo da vinci, stephen hawking, malcolm x and martin luther king should all definitely be on the list.
plus shakespeare and the beatles could possibly warrant a spot.
otherwise well done. great effort
Where is Serj and Dave Mustaine????????
i dont want 2 sound offensive or anything but i think your just not ready to make this kind list. Hart is probably an expert in this.
p.s. be careful what you write it might offend someone im not saying me.
Those of you wondering why Jesus was no made number 1 instead of Muhammad, its not to do with number of people/follower of the religion, its to do with "influence".
Jesus' teachings were more widespread due to teh effort of the desciples, without them Christianity would have undoubtedly been a minority.
It must be noted that during Jesus' entire life time Chirstianity was still small and only grew exponentially years and years after the supposed crucifixion.
Islam on the other hand was spread and had most of middle east during the Prophet's lifetime.
On that note Muhammad was considered more influential than Jesus (who was influential none the less).
People should also realise that there are only fit in 100 people in the top 100 spots.
So there will always be why not him why not her?.....
the reason mohammad came at the top and more influantial then jesus is because mohammad created saudi arabi, was a great general and started the 2 biggest religion in the world but jesus did the same except it wasnt really jesus who did it cuz the bible was written by his followers AND WHO THAT FUCK SAID HARRY TRUMAN and why is hitler on there?
these are the people that i think should have been there
malcolm x, chrels darwin, da vinci, jfk and abraham lincoln ow ye and mother teresa
josephk_@hotmail.co.uk
the reason mohammad came at the top and more influantial then jesus is because mohammad created saudi arabi, was a great general and started the 2 biggest religion in the world but jesus did the same except it wasnt really jesus who did it cuz the bible was written by his followers AND WHO THAT FUCK SAID HARRY TRUMAN
these are the people that i think should have been there
malcolm x, chrels darwin, da vinci, jfk and abraham lincoln ow ye and mother teresa
josephk_@hotmail.co.uk
No women?
I think JP Morgan is missing here.
Yes, this list has problems, but you people who are criticizing his list make me sick. You are a bunch of babbling idiots. Whoever fumed about Jesus being born in 6 B.C. -- GO TO HISTORY CLASS. There you will find that a monk in pre-Charlemagne court made a mistake in the dating. TUPAC?! I hope that was a joke. Leonardo deserves a place, but near the bottom. In that case, Constantine and Charlemagne deserve a higher spot, I think. Muhammad, in my opinion (Which IS an expert opinion to you dissenters, Mohammed should not be first -- Europe, the continent we think of when we say "western civilization," was not as affected by Mohammed as it was by St. Paul. In that case, I think that St. Paul and Jesus need to be placed 3rd, after Alexander the Great and Constantine. I'm a medievalist, so obviously I have a slight bias. Musicians besides MAYBE the Beatles should not be on this list. We're talking INFLUENCE, not recognition. Charles Darwin definitely needs to be on there . Since we are talking about all time, though... I can see Mohammed being first - maybe.
The fact is, there are differences in opinion. People who said that Tupac should be on the list should be completely ignored. Please, someone go to History Class.
Post a Comment
<< Home