Favourite historical hero?

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Martin Luther

Martin Luther King

Thomas Edison

Margaret Sanger

Florence Nightengale

Robert E. Lee (Yes, I'm glad the North won the war, yes I'm anti-slavery, and if you want to discuss this, read a few books on the American Civil War before you attack me.)

I admire wise people who seek to do great things. People who are put into tough situations by incident aren't heros, they're just easy to talk about.

 

The whole Greek army was waiting the Persian army in Thermopyles, but they decided to retreat to the Isthmus of Corinthos, which was considered to be a better area for defence. Leonidas with 300 Spartans and 700 men from the city of Thespis, who refused to abandon him, remained in Thermopyles in order to buy the time needed for the preparations of the fortifications in Corinthos.

When the Persian fleet was destroyed in the sea battle of Salamina, King Xerxis returned to Persia and left behind his general Mardonius with 300000 troops to continue the war. Mardonius army was destroyed one year later (479 BC) in the battle of Platees by the united Greek Army, which was under the leadership of Pausanias,King of Sparta.

 

Gah!

Margaret Sanger?!?! The woman who (as she herself wrote) launched a plan to kill off minority races by giving them as much birth control and abortion services as possible? Holy cow!

[ October 18, 2002, 16:37: Message edited by: Shralp ]

 

The Straight Dope column today is one for this topic:
Straight Dope article

It is about the biggest mass murderers (states and those that ran them) in recent history.
The top 9 (lifted from the article):

Rummel goes on to identify the top nine killers: (1) Joseph Stalin, 43 million dead, 1929-'53;
(2) Mao Tse-tung, 38 million, 1923-'76;
(3) Adolf Hitler, 21 million, 1933-'45;
(4) Chiang Kai-shek, 10 million, 1921-'48;
(5) Vladimir Lenin, 4 million, 1917-'24;
(6) Tojo Hideki (Japan), 4 million, 1941-'45;
(7) Pol Pot, 2.4 million, 1968-'87;
(8) Yahya Khan (Pakistan), 1.5 million, 1971;
(9) Josip Broz, better known as Marshal Tito (Yugoslavia), 1.2 million, 1941-'80.

Who thought Stalin and Mao were heroes?

 

Mathetais (aka John Calvin)

Were you predestined to say that?

Your friend, Keraptisdm (John Wesley)

 

Mr. Wesley

Yes, I was predestined to say that! Just like I was predestined to read the Bible, study some theology, and understand how Predestination (and Reformed theology in general) is superior to the doctrine held by my arminian friends.

Just call me Whitefield!

 

Mr. Calvin:
Now THAT was some much needed levity injected to this thread. I'm glad you picked up on it. You may be required to elaborate for the more theologically doctrinally challenged members of the congregation. Naturally, I was not predestined to make that statement.
Your obedient servant,
J.Wesley

 

I think I'm going to upgrade my hero to Mr. Jack Daniels.

Yep. That was one MIGHTY fine individual. He like, won a silver star for all the lives he saved. I think he was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but then Dr. Jim Beam debunked his theory of extractions before a congressional committee, and it ignited a virtual war between several States.

That man is like, totally my idol. I think I'm just going to refer to him in the future as Sir Jack Daniels.

Maybe Dr. Jack Daniels, D.O. (osteopathic rules!!)?

RADM. Dr. Jack Daniels, D.O. (ret)?

 

Wow...with all the attacking going on in this thread, I'm surprised that Bob Hope and Joe, the T Rex haven't been shot down!!!

More heros for me: Joseph Smith, and all the early mormon pioneers...they took a lot of crap from a country where people are supposed to be able to worship freely, but didn't cave in...now look at us!!!

 

Yeah, I've got to give kudos for the early Mormons. They took a lot of crap, including the assassination of their leader, and kept building their society.

Not that this Catholic agrees with most of the Mormons then or now, of course.

 

for me it is
1. Fidel Castro - saviour of the great country Cuba
2. Oscar Schindler - the saviour of many jewish (sp) in the second world war
3. Lenin/Vladimir - same person and a hero for the sovjet union
4. Karl Marx - intrudutioner of Socialism/Communism

 

Is it just me or is it really hot in here?

 

Jesus is #1

And from my country Mohammed Hatta,the first Indonesia Vice President.

We talk about heroes and it is going to be HOT

 

I was referring to all the flaming going on, and that yet to come especially considering AssWooper the ÜberSpammer's post.

[ October 24, 2002, 06:49: Message edited by: Alex ]

 

Ok, I need to say this: One hero we should all have is Bill Gates...if it wern't for him, he would all be stuck behind a peice of S$%& I Mac. Well...I guess it wouldn't be that bad...our heating bills would be cut in half. Juts turn on your Macintrash "all-in-one" and you got youself a handy space heater...that's all thy're good for.

 

Bill Gates is evil. It is not heroic to steal the ideas of others.

 

@Jack...I take it that you like your space heater?

 

@Kitrax

Dont you mean, if Billie didnt steal those ideas from IBM we should all be behind silly Macs

 

I don't know about steal...He was a shrewed business man. He bought an o/s from some guy in Seattle for $50,000, made IBM pay for it on a per license basis.

As for Windows...Xerox gave that away to Gates in the 80's...He was just quicker to get it to market!

I don't know if he's a hero - but he is an example of capitalism in action!!!

 

1. Jesus
2. Pope John Paul II, Mother Theresa of Calcatta
3. St. Joan of Arc
4. Odo de Saint-Amand, Armand de Perigord, Gillaume de Beaujeu, Jacques de Molay in chronological order
5. Charles I Stuart
6. William Wallace
7. Aetius, Belisarius (the 6th cent. one ), Constantine XI
8. General Patton

The sequence depends mostly on the strength of feelings towards the heroes, in some cases it's impossible to properly evaluate and establish a reasonable order.