If you could take the greatest people from history (and the present) and put them all in a room together (with a common language), who would you pick as the greatest people from history? You can pick anyone from any time period, you can even pick people who aren't Americans if you wish. They could be philosophers, politicians, military leaders, celebrities, human rights leaders, or anyone. In that room together they would discuss and debate their beliefs, theologies, and other things. They could also tell you about their lives if you wanted them to. Here are the people who I'd pick:
Abraham Lincoln (American; 1809 – 1865)
Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States during the American Civil War.
George Washington (American; 1732 – 1799)
George Washington was the first President of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief of the United States military during the American Revolutionary War.
Hayley Williams (American; 1988 – present)
Hayley Williams is the lead singer of Paramore and winner of several "most beautiful female" awards.
Socrates (Greek; 469 BC – 399 BC)
Socrates was a Classical Greek philosopher.
Benjamin Franklin (American; 1706 – 1790)
Benjamin Franklin was an American inventor and politician.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (American; 1929 – 1968)
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a non-violent human rights activist who fought for the equal rights of African Americans.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (American; 1882 – 1945)
Franklin Roosevelt was the President of the United States during the Great Depression and most of World War II.
Mahatma Gandhi (Indian; 1869 – 1948)
Gandhi was a political and spiritual leader of India. He was a pacifist and believed that India should become independent through non-violent actions.
Julius Caesar (Roman; 100 BC – 44 BC)
Julius Caesar was a consul of the Roman Republic who was assassinated by his friends out of fear that he would become a dictator.
Karl Marx (German; 1818 – 1883)
Karl Marx (and Friedrich Engels) was the author of The Communist Manifesto and is often regarded as the father of communism.
Albert Einstein (German; 1879 – 1955)
Einstein was a German philosopher, he responsible for the Atomic Theory.
Nikola Tesla (Austrian; 1856 – 1943)
Nikola Tesla was an Austrian inventor, he was responsible for the creation of commercial electricity.
Stephenie Meyer (American; 1973 – present)
Stephanie Meyer is the author of The Twilight Saga books. She's possible the most influential person alive, so much so that not only does she have an army of teenage girls worshiping her, but her work has also led to the creation of a
subculture and to real life teenagers physically biting eat each others' necks.
Nelson Mandela (South African; 1918 – present)
Nelson Mandela was the first black South African president and a member of the South African resistance. He fought against the racist pro-white Apartheid regime in South Africa. He was eventually arrested by the Apartheid regime and sentenced to (manual labor) prison for 27 years and exiled. He was later released when the apartheid regime was abolished and free elections were allowed in South Africa. He was then elected President of South Africa, and despite being beaten, tortured, imprisoned, and terrorized by the white South Africans, he instead pardoned them, let them keep their political offices, and put an end to racial segregation. I recommend this movie about him:
InvictusWinston Churchill (British; 1874 – 1965)
Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. Unfortunately, like most politicians, he made some mistakes. And by mistakes I mean he was accused of mistreating Indian and Bengali (people from Bangladesh) subjects of the British Empire.
Charles de Gaulle (French; 1890 – 1970)
Charles de Gaulle was the leader of Free France (an anti-Nazi resistance movement) during World War II. He later became the President of France and the (Co-)Prince of Andorra.
Bill Gates (American; 1955 – present)
Bill Gates is the founder of the Microsoft Corporation, inventor of Windows, and one of the world's wealthiest men. He is a prime example of how capitalism works.
Vladimir LeninLenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks (communists) during the Russian Civil War. He was also the first Chairman of the Soviet Union.
Jesus Christ (Roman; 5 BC – 30 AD)
Jesus is, well, Jesus.
Gautama Buddha (Indian; 563 BC – 483 BC)
The Buddha was the creator of Buddhism.
Wovoka (American Indian; 1856 – 1932)
Wovoka, also known as Jack Wilson, was an American Indian (Northern Paiute to be exact) who lived on an American Indian reservation. Eventually he created his own denomination of Christianity (called Ghost Dance), in which Jesus was an American Indian. He prophesied that Jesus would return and make all of the white people go away (and bring back the buffalo). He also prophesied that if you wear a shirt advertising his religion that you would become immortal and not even bullets could kill you. Eventually several hundred of his followers (primarily women and children) were massacred (Wounded Knee Massacre) by the United States Army.
Swede Momsen (American; 1896 – 1967)
Swede Momsen was an Admiral in the United States Navy and an inventor. He is responsible for the first and most important deep sea submarine rescue in history. I highly recommend this book about him an the rescue:
The Terrible HoursNapolean Bonaparte (Corsican; 1769 – 1821)
Napolean was a French monarch and military leader during the Napoleonic Wars. He conquered most of Europe, including the Holy Roman Empire.
