Coolest historical person?

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Who do you think is the coolest person throughout history? Who you think was the most awesome dude to have walked the earth and be recorded in history?

I have a penchance for the great concquerers. Alexander, Caesar and so on. They were all, morality aside, cool. My coolest however I think would have to be Napoleon. The main reason for that is his return from Elba. It takes balls to singlehandedly re-conquer an empire, and by singlehandedly I mean alone. The dude walked up to the gates of Marseille and says he is back and he was going to rule again, and no one dares disagree... I think that is pretty awesome.

So who do you say? A military and political leader like me? A philosopher? A prophet? Or someone completely different?

 

I would have to say Benjimin Franklin.

He was a forefather of world democracy, discovered electricity (or at least that lightning was the same thing), invented modern postal technology, invented the chronometer, philosopher, diplomat, statesman, etc ...

 

Jesus, Gideon and Hitler.

The reason I choose Hitler is because he had the dumbest ideals ever but still manages to fool a huge group of fanatics and still does, even after his suicide. THAT, is pretty impressive.

 

Yes, it's really impresive that a man who had black hair and black eyes and who was rather short managed to convince 50 millions that the supreme race are the tall, blonde and blueeyed men. He and his right hand, Himmler, didn't even meet the requirements to join their own SS.

Now who I think that is the most coolest historical person? Leonidas, King of Sparta. In 480 BC he and his 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians faced a persian army consisted of one million men and fought to the last man, even if they had the chance to retreat or to join the enemy, and they were defeated because of treason.

 

Julius Caesar, by far.

 

Benedetto Cotrugli, the inventor of double-entry bookkeeping.

Or Albert Einstein.

 

I can't make up my mind, but I do have to say Marconi as one.

 

This is such a good thread. And really, really hard to pick just one as the "most awesome." Most of my historical "heroes" are Renaissance men - Da Vinci/Michelangelo, Shakespeare/Marlow, Erasmus/Luther, Galileo/Newton.
But I would want to consider Dante/Chaucer also, especially Dante.

But then there are Americans: Martin Luther King Jr./FDR, Jefferson/Franklin, Washington/Adams, Lincoln/Grant. U.S. Grant is one of the most underrated Americans, IMO.

Then there's Eleanor of Aquitaine/Elizabeth I.
The accomplishments of Mozart/Beethoven - Mozart's huge output of sublime music in such a short lifetime, and Beethoven, composing the Ninth Symphony while completely deaf.

But, if I had to narrow my choices, maybe to one man and one woman they would be Eleanor of Aquitaine, having lived such an extraordinary life. And probably Shakespeare, or Dante; I just can't choose between them.

I suppose a few of these guys seem pretty dull compared to the color and spectacle of battle with the likes of Napoleon, or Caesar. And I'm not putting that down in anyway.
But for me, it would be Friday night in the Mermaid Tavern, in Cheapside, listening to the most brilliant wits of the English language - Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, John Donne, Robert Herrick, and as was said:

[ March 06, 2004, 04:19: Message edited by: Chandos the Red ]

 

Socrates. Great ideas, father of modern thought.

 

Splunge - who says Benedetto Cotrugli invented double-entry bookkeeping? Luca Pacioli published the first definitive text on the double-entry system in 1494 and is usually considered the Father of modern accounting even though a manuscript attibuted to Cotrugli dates back to 1458. Anyway, neither of these men actually invented double-entry accounting because fragments of Florentine banking records going back to the early 13th century make it clear that the system had been in place long beforehand.

My greatest person in history has to be Captain James Cook. If he hadn't sailed to New Zealand faster than that French captain Dumont D'Urville, then the whole history of New Zealand would have been completely different. I probably wouldn't be here and there would have been no Lord of the Rings movies (or if there were, they would have been in French!).

[ March 04, 2004, 19:05: Message edited by: Harbourboy ]

 

Mark Twain, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.

 

I'll have to say Albert Einstein too. Gotta love his haircut.

 

His performance as president aside, yes.

My choice would be Gengis Kahn.

 

Same as BOC: King Leonidas.
Also Aristotle, Alexander the Great and William Wallace.

 

Socrates, Darwin, and Leonardo Da Vinci

 

@ Harbourboy - boy, even speaking as a fellow accountant, I think I'm pretty safe in saying that I now know more about the history of accounting than I really wanted to.

 

As a Finn I would have to say Mannerheim but as I'm quite sure that most of you don't have a clue who he is I'll put my vote on Otto von Bismarck who managed to unite Germany after being shattered for hundreds of years, and of course his skills in diplomacy and foreign politics are amazing too.

 

OK, Jesus was a historical person, but I don't feel like referring to Him as cool.

Well, I sure the Pope wouldn't mind, though

Now:

St Jeanne D'Arc (again, some reservations about the word "cool") - we all know

general Patton - called "the last Polish cavalier", believe it or not - well, doesn't everyone know him?

Aetius, probably the last Old Shool Roman general

Belisarius - or maybe this guy has the honour, unless he's considered too Byzantine to be truly Roman

Zawisza the Black (a Polish knight) - just kicked ass, and was a uber-honourable paladin, I mean, knight

Boleslaus the Brave (a Polish king) - just kicked ass

marshal Piłsudski (he saved you all Westerners from Orc army, eeer... I mean, Red Army, but you most probably haven't heard about him)

Guillaume de Beaujeu - a good paladin... I mean... Templar Grand Master

Odo de Saint-Amand - an example of the Templar arrogance - the I respond to a higher justice attitude, a good paladin, I mean, Templar Grand Master

Constantine "Dragases" Palaiologos, the last Emperor of Rome. Unless you count the Komnenoi of Trebisonde who had better rights to the throne of the Byzantine Empire. Like any of their Emperors ever had any rights to the throne

Lady de Montfort, probably Jeanne, but I don't remember. A real fighter.

James III (called the Old Pretender by the wicked) - guess

Jacques de Molay (and the rest of the guys, let them rest in peace) - the last Templar Grand Master, burned at stake in 1314 AD after revoking the testimony he was forced to give and claiming innocence of the Order

Jan Karol Chodkiewicz - sort of deputy commander in chief of the army of the Duchy of Lithuania in union with the Kingdom of Poland. He would kick the invaders no matter what. Even 3000 vs 14000. Stayed humble, though. He was a good paladin. And kicked ass.

Jeremi Wiśniowiecki, Duke - the terror of Ukrainian rebels. Descended from the Lithuanian ruling dynasty (I have no idea why princely titles weren't used in the family but they instead became dukes of this and that, and everyone was a Duke), but heavily ruthenised or however you call that in English. He simply kicked ass.

 

Alexander the Great

whoever else? I am absolutely fanatical about this guy though, so.. maybe it's just me =)

 

Alexander the Great is cool yes .

But I must say Richard 'The Lionheart'. The romantic commander who always led his troops into battle.

"If we are to charge against out foes! Watch me do it first! Then follow!"

Or Henry V. "He which has no stomach to this fight, let him leave this place, but us few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother!" We then rained longbow shafts down upon our French enemies who outnumbered us 5 to 1. Plus we were fatigued and on a retreat.

Omg! Roxor

England has so many great historical heroes you can take your pick! Such a great history my country has got. It kinda makes you feel proud .