Legendary personalities of the world. People who changed our world for the better
The names of some people - representatives of a wide variety of professions and activities - are associated in our minds with incredible fame and success. We call them first if we are asked to answer the question of who is the most famous, influential person in economics, art, politics, etc. The most famous people world - this list is not subject to final compilation, because each of us has our own priorities and views on life. However, you can't argue with some people's fame.
The most famous people in art
Chaplin
At the dawn of cinema, Charlie Chaplin became its superstar. The comedian's career spanned a total of 80 years.
Chaplin was the founder of his own film studio, a theater and silent film star, one of the creative pillars of silent cinema, the developer of most of the stunts and comic filming techniques, and a witness to the change from the silent era to the sound era. Chaplin twice received an out-of-competition Oscar, and in 1973 the Film Academy posthumously awarded him another statuette with the wording “For making cinema an art.”
Everyone knows the image of Chaplin - a clumsy eccentric in a bowler hat and with a painted mustache. It’s hard to believe that he was completely different without makeup.
Disney
Walt Disney is a cult figure like Chaplin, only in animation. As an animation director, Disney directed 111 films with his own hands and produced more than 500 more. It is impossible to imagine childhood without “Snow White”, “Bambi”, “Sleeping Beauty”, these films are so bright, they are so light and kind.
Today, The Walt Disney Company's earnings exceed $30 billion a year, but before founding the studio, Disney received more than 300 refusals, because animation was considered a hopeless area of investment.
Wald Disney and the brainchildren of his employees - Mickey, Donald and Goofy
Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is an actress, a sex symbol of the era, a woman whose name everyone puts in their personal list of the most interesting, beautiful and mysterious women.
Having entered the film studio as an extra, Monroe made a dizzying career and became the highest paid actress from 1950 until the end of the century. Her films had grossed $200 million by the time she died suddenly in 1962. The legendary blonde acquired condescension towards her own fame and contempt for money, repeating that kisses in Hollywood cost millions, but a soul costs 50 cents.
Most Famous Artist
Vincent Van Gogh is an artist whose influence throughout world culture was only appreciated after his death. During his lifetime, Van Gogh sold only one painting, and the room where he painted was so cold that he was sometimes forced to light the stove with his paintings.
Van Gogh's 800 paintings, which were ahead of their time in terms of art development, became examples of post-impressionism. The artist spent his whole life trying to copy the child’s style of drawing, and eventually created sincere, spontaneous paintings, the most expensive of which today costs almost $150 million.
Self-portrait of Van Gogh
Politician
Unconditionally, the palm in politics should be awarded to the most famous dictator, Adolf Hitler, whose name is involuntarily associated with world evil.
A very talented artist and a good musician could have lived a life completely far from politics, but in his youth he became interested in political views nationalists and anti-Semites.
Based on his belief in the special mission of the German nation, Hitler built his own empire and became its head in 1934. Hitler began to take over all of Europe and launched the largest and bloodiest war in human history - World War II. Hitler's main political postulates are reflected in the book Mein Kampf, which became the program document of the Nationalist Party.
The most famous athlete
Michael Jordan is an American basketball player, NBA player, who instilled a love of basketball in most modern athletes. Jordan is not the tallest or the most gifted, but he is the most ambitious and persistent athlete. Expelled from the school basketball league, the young athlete was able to achieve the status of a basketball superstar and, through many years of training, developed a unique style of play.
He is known for ending his sports career and returning three times: the first time at the end of the 1992 Olympics due to moral and physical exhaustion (returned to the NBA in 1995); the second break was in 1999-2001; Jordan returned to professional sports for the third time in September 2001, wanting to transfer all the fees he received to a fund to help victims of the terrorist attack in the United States.
Jordan's accomplishments barely fit on the marble plaque at the United Center.
At times, Jordan played with his tongue involuntarily sticking out, saying that this habit was “in the family”, from his father and older brother, and was an expression of complete passion and concentration on the game.
Literary creativity
They say that a writer must be hungry in order not to relax and create. Perhaps, in this regard, in the “literature” section it is appropriate to mention the name of the writer JK Rowling as a woman recognized as a genius and the highest paid children’s writer. It's hard to believe that the most popular hero, Harry Potter, could not be seen by either readers or audiences in cinemas.
The first book about Harry Potter was rejected by more than 10 publishers, but today the image of the young wizard has turned into a brand, and its creator has become the world's first billionaire writer.
The science
A prominent figure in science, whose scientific research turned the world upside down, is Albert Einstein. The achievements of the theoretical physicist were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921, and to this day Einstein’s theories about the structure of the universe have not been challenged or supplemented.
Einstein foresaw several major breakthroughs in physics, including the still unrealized possibility of quantum teleportation.
Media
The most famous media person can be considered the American TV presenter and journalist Oprah Winfrey. The personification of a modern talk show and synonymous with a show journalist, the most influential woman for American women, the first black female billionaire, a media mogul with her own studio, publication, and broadcast - this is Winfrey.
She went through a difficult journey from a teenage girl who gave birth at age 13, to the youngest, 17-year-old television reporter and the first black reporter in the state of Nashville, to her own show, which brought her worldwide fame.
The most famous people in the world - they all went through a difficult path, full of failures and hard work, proving by personal example that luck alone is not enough to win and you need to move forward, despite the lack of money, strength, support, even the very desire to live. Their examples inspire or, on the contrary, serve as a counter-example, but the names of famous artists, writers, and leaders will be a symbol of the era for a long time.
Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (Cr. 952-1015) - Baptist of Ancient Rus'
The Russian prince Svyatoslav, who ruled in Kyiv, had three sons - Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. Immediately after the death of Svyatoslav, the brothers went to war against each other, each wanted to rule in Kyiv, to become an autocratic prince. Vladimir showed great foresight in this fight and turned out to be the winner. He converted to Christianity, baptized Rus' and contributed in every possible way to the education of ordinary people.
Prince Ivan III Vasilievich(1440-1505) - Uniter of Russian lands
The Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II, nicknamed the Dark One, during his lifetime involved his son Ivan in managing the affairs of the state. Thus, he confirmed his legal rights to succession to the throne. All business papers were signed by both of them. Ivan assumed full rights after the death of his father, when he was 22 years old. Ivan III began to unite the Russian lands around Moscow, turning it into the capital of the all-Russian state. Under him, the Principality of Moscow got rid of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. He knew how to listen carefully to the advice of his boyars. In adulthood, Prince Ivan 3 did not like to take part in military campaigns, believing that commanders should fight, and the sovereign at home should decide important matters. During the 43 years of his reign, the Moscow principality was freed from the power of the Horde khans, significantly expanded and strengthened. Under him, the code of laws “Code Code” was adopted, and a local system of land ownership appeared.
Peter I (1672-1725) - “What I want must be”
Peter 1 was truly great. Peter had everything great - growth, army, battles, territories, plans. He sought not only to expand the boundaries Russian state, but also to make life in it similar to what he saw in Europe. He learned a lot himself and taught others. However, in his desire to quickly introduce new orders, he often went to extremes; bloody massacres were not uncommon in his time. He was in a hurry in everything, as if he felt that fate had not given him a very long life.
Catherine II (1729-1796) - Enlightened Monarch
On June 28, 1762, a bloodless palace coup took place in St. Petersburg. The wife of Emperor Peter III, Ekaterina Alekseevna, with the help of the guards, removed her husband from power and declared herself an autocratic empress. Once on the Russian throne, Catherine II tried to win the devotion and love of her subjects. She carried out many economic transformations, contributed in every possible way to the development of trade, torture and executions were abolished in Russia, and elected courts appeared. The period of her reign was called the “golden age”, and the empress herself was called the Great.
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837) - The sun of Russian poetry
Time inexorably moves us away from Pushkin, the poet, playwright, and prose writer, but this makes his creative genius appear more and more clearly. His poems, poems and stories showed different sides of Russian reality, social life and peasant life, they reflected the restless soul of the poet, deep feelings and experiences. His poetry and prose were enthusiastically received by 19th-century readers. It was then that the aura of his greatness was created; he began to be considered the founder of Russian literature, the creator of modern literary language. It is no coincidence that the time in which he lived is called the “Pushkin era.”
Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov (1810-1881) - Surgeon from God
Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov worked for hours in the anatomical theater, cutting soft tissues, examining diseased organs, sawing bones, and looking for replacements for damaged joints. Anatomy became a practical school for him, laying the foundation for his further successful surgical activity. Pirogov was the first to come up with the idea plastic surgery, used anesthesia in military field surgery, applied a plaster cast in the field for the first time, and suggested the existence of pathogenic microorganisms that cause suppuration of wounds. His works and various medical atlases brought Russian surgery to one of the first places in the world.
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821-1881) - Defender of the poor
Despite the wide popularity of Fyodor Dostoevsky in Russia, worldwide recognition and interest in his work came after his death. Everyone noted his deep psychologism and passion in depicting the “humiliated and insulted.” The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that Dostoevsky was the only psychologist from whom he learned anything. The works of Fyodor Mikhailovich had a noticeable influence on writers: the Austrian Stefan Zweig, the Frenchman Marcel Proust, the Englishman Oscar Wilde, the Germans Thomas and Heinrich Mann.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) - Preacher of morality
The famous Russian theater director and creator of the acting system, Konstantin Stanislavsky, wrote in his book “My Life in Art” that in the difficult years of the first revolutions, when despair gripped people, many remembered that Leo Tolstoy was living with them at the same time. And my soul became lighter. He was the conscience of humanity. IN late XIX and at the beginning of the 20th century, Tolstoy became the spokesman for the thoughts and hopes of millions of people. He was a moral support for many. It was read and listened to not only by Russia, but also by Europe, America and Asia.
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907) - Legislator in chemistry
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev was a versatile scientist: in the laboratory he studied new properties of materials, in plants and factories he analyzed the results of their use, and at his desk he carefully summarized information. Every year he traveled to various regions of the country and went abroad. The Periodic Table he created chemical elements- a brilliant discovery - it established the dependence of various properties of elements on the charge of the atomic nucleus and was accepted throughout the world. The collection of his scientific works consists of 25 volumes.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - Composer for all times
Foreign performers of piano music, violinists, cellists and vocalists are well aware of the International Tchaikovsky Music Competition, which is held in Moscow every 4 years. The symphonic works of the Russian composer have long been heard in the concert halls of many leading capitals of the world, his operas and ballets are in the repertoire of the world's outstanding opera houses. Tchaikovsky left behind a huge musical heritage, which has become part of global culture.
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) - Teacher of reflex theory
Awarded the title of Nobel Prize laureate in the field of medicine and physiology for 1904, the creator of the science of higher nervous activity, Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov was recognized as the foreman of physiologists around the world.
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945) - Discoverer of the biosphere
Vladimir Vernadsky entered the history of Russian and world science as an outstanding naturalist, thinker, and public figure. He studied such special branches of knowledge about the Earth as geology, crystallography, mineralogy, geochemistry, and biology. And he determined the paths of the general evolution of the Earth, introduced the concepts of “biosphere” and “noosphere” - areas of distribution of life on Earth as a result of the evolutionary impact on it by humans. He was the herald of a new branch of science - ecology.
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) (1870-1924) - Practitioner of building communism
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is the most famous political figure of the 20th century. For over 70 years in the Soviet Union, he was considered an unsurpassed genius who set the goal of building communism in Russia. In 1917, Lenin took on the impossible task of making backward agrarian Russia socialist and then communist. He dreamed that workers would receive everything according to their needs. The idea turned out to be untenable. True, after Lenin the country gradually switched to the industrial path of development. Communism was not achieved, but at the cost of enormous efforts, including millions of human casualties, the USSR moved closer to the forefront on the world stage.
Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Stalin) (1878 -1953) - Inspirer of all victories
General Secretary of the All-Union Central Committee communist party(Bolsheviks), the head of the Soviet government Joseph Stalin led the country onto the industrial path of development, with his name the Soviet people won the Great Patriotic War, he caused mass labor heroism, and under him the country became a superpower. But he also imposed a totalitarian, dictatorial regime in the country, carried out forced collectivization, under him famine broke out in the country, mass repressions were carried out, the world community was divided into two camps - socialist and capitalist. In history, Stalin remained a dual personality: the winner of the war and the tyrant of his own people.
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (1906-1966) - Chief designer
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was an outstanding design engineer who dreamed of conquering space. He made a huge contribution to organizing the production of rocket and space technology and missile weapons in the Soviet Union. He was the first in the world to launch satellites, scientific stations, and spaceships into earth orbit. Reports of this shocked the whole world. He dreamed of exploring the vastness of the Universe with the help of automatic devices and began preparing a flight to Mars, but did not have time to carry out his plan.
photo from the Internet
What does it mean to be famous? For example, Chesley Sullenberger got into second position in the ranking of the Top 100 most influential people of 2009 just for a successful emergency landing of a plane, as a result of which no one was injured. But time passes, and all these rating names are erased and dissolved behind millions of the same rating names. But there are ten people who are known in every part of the globe. They knew about them, they know about them and will continue to know about them. And we invite you to remember these ten people in the Top Greatest People of All Time. The names on the list are arranged in ascending order, from tenth to the most important, first place.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Sir Isaac Newton
If you were to rank people for a query on Google, then Albert Einstein would be in tenth place; in one month, the query “Albert Einstein” gets up to 6.1 million search queries. But much more books have been written about Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein is unlikely to ever be able to defeat him in this sense. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Attraction, coined the term “gravity,” invented the reflecting telescope, defeated the Roman Catholic Church with the rationale for geocentrism, and determined that every object in the Universe, even the smallest one, moves. In his spare time, Newton studied the principles of optics. He lived a long life and died at the age of 84.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Leonardo da Vinci
In the case of one of history's greatest men, Leonardo da Vinci, a Google search can be quite inaccurate. And if you enter only the name “Leonardo,” Google will return a bunch of links to Ninja Turtles and people who drowned on the Titanic. But if you type the full name of Leonardo da Vinci, you will immediately discover that he is known throughout the world. A man who could do anything. And all the books about him and his inventions are perhaps the largest and most interesting summary in the world. He was an engineer, inventor, anatomist, architect, mathematician, geologist, musician, cartographer, botanist, writer and sculptor. He invented a rifle, even if it didn’t immediately look like what we used to call a rifle, but Leonardo’s rifle could shoot at a distance of 1000 yards. He invented the parachute, 300 years before it was officially invented. He invented the hang glider, 400 years before its official invention. Leonardo's hang glider was based on the work of bird wings. He could imagine what a helicopter should be like, but he could not understand what kind of force it would have to be to lift such a structure into the air. He invented a tank, which was a structure driven by a crankshaft. The structure could move and shoot simultaneously and in different directions. He invented scissors by connecting two knives with a bolt.
Along with incredible inventions for his time, Leonardo was a magnificent artist and sculptor. The work “Mona Lisa” is a masterpiece of world portraiture, around which controversy continues to this day.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is a man whom we repeat every day, quoting and not even suspecting that it was he who came up with this phrase or expression. This is amazing, remember how often you say something like this: “all that glitters is not gold”, “a pitiful sight”, “food of the gods”, “all’s well that ends well”. It's all Shakespeare. And of course, the maestro’s most famous phrase: “to be or not to be.” Egil Aarvik, a spokesman for the Nobel Prize Committee, once said that Shakespeare would be the only person who could qualify for the Nobel Prize more than once.
Speaking about Shakespeare's work, we can say almost nothing unambiguously about him himself. About his life, about him as a person. We only know that he was a simple actor, and then suddenly he suddenly became the greatest playwright. This gives rise to an incredible amount of rumors about whether Shakespeare was Shakespeare.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Adolf Gitler
Everyone knows who Adolf Hitler is. We all know that this man is the root cause of World War II. He provoked the war for two main reasons, so to speak. First: become the most powerful man on Earth and in history, and rule the world. The second reason: to create as much pain as possible against all those whom he personally considered responsible for putting Germany in an insulting and humiliating position after the First World War.
Hitler was an excellent speaker, and he knew what his compatriots wanted to hear and knew that they felt the same feelings towards the offenders of Germany as he did himself. Consequently, it was not difficult at all to raise people to “great” achievements and conquests.
Second World War became the hardest, bloodiest war in human history. It led to the greatest human losses. The estimated number of victims of World War II is 71 million. And Hitler is to blame for this. And during the war, he knew about it. He knew that all these victims were his victims, and he was glad about it. He was proud of it. Today, Hitler is on the same list as the “Devil” and “Satan” in the hearts and minds of people.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Apostle Paul of Tarsus
In sixth place in our ranking Greatest people of all times. The top 10 is the Apostle Paul of Tarsus. The Apostle Paul is considered the most important person in the matter of spreading Christianity, its ideology and principles. The Apostle Paul is considered the most important Christian apologist.
The Apostle Paul is the most famous and revered apostle of all the disciples of Christ.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
It may surprise you, but most people who Google Buddha's name are not Buddhists. In the Western Hemisphere and throughout Europe, Buddhism is not as widespread as in the Eastern part - Nepal and India. It is known that Buddha was a mortal man who achieved nirvana and spiritual awakening at the age of 35. To achieve nirvana and spiritual knowledge, the Buddha sat in meditation for 49 days under a tree until he achieved knowledge of what needed to be done in order to end human suffering. Having learned the truth, the Buddha carried his teachings to people so that all those who do could be freed from torment in their lives. This path is called the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of: right view, right intention, right concentration, right speech, right action, right lifestyle, right effort and right mindfulness. According to the teachings of Buddha, if you adhere to these simple rules, you can truly become happy man, independent of anything.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Moses
Moses is revered by all the major modern religions of the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is the greatest prophet of the Supreme Testament, the liberator of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. Moses was a legislator, a judge, a man through whom the Lord conveyed his main 10 commandments.
According to legend, Moses was found as a baby in a basket floating on the Nile and was raised as the son of Pharaoh. There is none, by and large accurate information about Moses, except that he grew up in a noble Egyptian family, and one fine day he saw how an Egyptian mocked his Jewish slave, killed the Egyptian and fled into the desert. Here, in the desert, God first appeared to Moses as a burning bush. This turning point inspired Moses, and he, inspired, went to Pharaoh to ask him to release all the Jews, otherwise the Lord would send such torment to the Egyptians that they would not be able to stand it. And so it happened. Pharaoh resisted, but the Lord showed his strength and sent unimaginable torment to the Egyptian people. Ultimately, Pharaoh was forced to release Moses along with all the Jews.
Moses led the Jews through the deserts for 40 years so that they would all be reborn from slavery, and here the Lord passed on his basic laws through Moses.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Abraham
Bronze in our ranking of The Greatest People of All Time. The top 10 is occupied by the Biblical Abraham. And this is no coincidence. Abraham is considered one of the first prophets of the Middle East, the first to preach one God. According to legend, God makes a covenant with Abraham because he was very pious and unshakable in his faith in God. This covenant is marked by circumcision. Before this, the Lord tested Abraham's faith, demanding that he kill his son Isaac, and Abraham had already raised a knife over his son when the Lord said that this was a test.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Mahomet
For non-Muslims, Mohammed founded Islam. For Muslims, Islam already existed, but Mohammed revived it in the hearts of people. Muslims believe that God transmitted through Mohammed the basic philosophical principles and revelations, which he wrote down in the main religious book of Muslims - the Koran.
Mohammed was born in Saudi Arabia and had 13 wives. Not a single accurate image of Mohammed has survived because he is considered the last prophet sent by Allah to teach people the basic path of peace and righteousness, and that he is too holy for all of us to see his face. During his life, Mohammed managed to unite the entire Middle East under the name of one God - Allah.
The greatest people of all time. Top 10. Jesus of Nazareth
It would be incomprehensible if the first place in the Greatest People of All Time Top 10 were taken by some other person. Naturally, this is Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ.
We all know the life story of Jesus, who was born to a virgin, died at the age of 33, that he was crucified on the cross, that he died and three days later was resurrected, ascended into heaven, into the abode of His Father, and now sits at the right hand of God.
Jesus Christ is accepted by all religions of the world; both believers and atheists know about him and his life. Perhaps some of the most primitive peoples and tribes living in the Amazon delta or in the impenetrable forests of Brazil do not know the name of Christ. The main book telling about the life and deeds of Christ is the Bible, the New Testament; we note that 25 million copies of the Bible are sold annually around the world.
So, even if you are not a believer, you will have to accept the fact that the most famous person around the world is Jesus of Nazareth.
Our world has been formed for many millennia. In such a complex process of formation, many different historical figures took part, who made an invaluable contribution to culture, science and various spheres of our life, both in their countries and throughout humanity.
It is very difficult and almost impossible to select those whose influence was most significant. However, the authors of this list still decided to try and collect in one publication the most inspiring personalities in the history of world civilizations.
Some of them are known to everyone, others are not known to everyone, but they all have one thing in common - these people changed our world for the better. From the Dalai Lama to Charles Darwin, here are 25 of the most outstanding personalities on the planet!
#1 Princess Diana
Also known as “Lady Di” and “the people’s princess,” Princess Diana captured the hearts of millions around the world with her philanthropy, hard work and sincerity. She devoted most of her short life to helping those in need in third world countries.
The Queen of Hearts, as she was also known, founded the movement to end the production and use of anti-personnel mines, and was actively involved in several dozen humanitarian campaigns and non-profit organizations, including the Red Cross, London's Great Ormond Street Hospital and AIDS research.
Lady Di died at the age of 36 from injuries received in a car accident.
#2 Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and one of the most influential figures in American history. Coming from a poor farming family, Lincoln fought for the reunification of the country during Civil War between North and South, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the American economy.
He earned his reputation as an outstanding historical figure primarily for his contribution to the development of a democratic society and the fight against slavery and oppression of the black population in the United States. Abraham Lincoln's legacy continues to shape the American people today.
#3 Jeanne d'Arc
Also known as the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc is the greatest heroine in French history and one of the most famous women in history. world history. She was born into a poor farming family in 1412 and believed that she was chosen by God to lead France to victory in the Hundred Years' War with England.
The girl died before the end of the war, but her courage, passion and devotion to her goal (especially during the siege of Orleans) caused a long-awaited moral upsurge and inspired the entire French army to the final victory in the protracted and seemingly hopeless confrontation with the British. Unfortunately, in battle, the Maid of Orleans was captured by her enemies, condemned by the Inquisition and burned at the stake at the age of 19.
#4 Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous and respected scientists in the world, and he has made invaluable contributions to the development of science (especially cosmology and theoretical physics). The work of this British researcher and ardent popularizer of science is also impressive because Hawking made almost all of his discoveries in spite of a rare and slowly progressing degenerative disease.
The first signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis appeared in his student years, and now the great scientist is completely paralyzed. However, severe illness and paralysis did not prevent Hawking from marrying twice, becoming the father of two sons, flying in zero gravity, writing many books, becoming one of the founders of quantum cosmology and the winner of a whole collection of prestigious awards, medals and orders.
#5 Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the central figure of the Christian religion, and He has had such a profound impact on our world that He is often called the most influential and inspiring person in human history. Compassion, love for others, sacrifice, humility, repentance and forgiveness.
Jesus called in his sermons and personal example were concepts completely opposite to the values of ancient civilizations during His life on Earth. Yet today there are approximately 2.4 billion followers of His teachings and Christian faith in the world.
#6 Bill Gates
The founder of the legendary multinational company Microsoft, Bill Gates was considered the richest man in the world for almost 20 years. Recently, however, Gates has become known primarily as a generous philanthropist rather than for his success in business and in the information technology market.
At one time, Bill Gates stimulated the development of the market personal computers, making computers accessible to the simplest users, which is exactly what he wanted. Now he is passionate about the idea of providing Internet access to the whole world. Gates is also working on projects dedicated to combating global warming and combating gender discrimination.
#7 Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was a German entrepreneur, Nazi Party member, spy, womanizer and drinker. None of this sounds very appealing and certainly doesn’t sound like the characteristics of a real hero. However, contrary to all of the above, Schindler was included in this list completely deservedly.
During the Holocaust and World War II, this man saved about 1,200 Jews, rescuing them from death camps to work in his factories. The heroic story of Oskar Schindler has been told in many books and films, but the most famous adaptation was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Schindler's List.
#8 Leonardo da Vinci
It is difficult to describe and list all the areas in which Leonardo da Vinci, a man who changed the whole world with his mere existence, succeeded. Over the course of his entire life, this Italian genius of the Renaissance managed to achieve unprecedented heights in painting, architecture, music, mathematics, anatomy, engineering, and many other areas.
Da Vinci is recognized as one of the most versatile and talented people to ever live on our planet, and he is the author of such revolutionary inventions as the parachute, helicopter, tank and scissors.
#9 Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was a South African politician, philanthropist, revolutionary, reformer, passionate advocate for human rights during apartheid (policy of racial segregation) and President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He had a profound influence on the history of South Africa and the world.
Mandela spent almost 27 years in prison for his beliefs, but he did not lose faith in the liberation of his people from the oppression of the authorities, and after leaving prison he achieved democratic elections, as a result of which he became the first black president of South Africa. His tireless work to peacefully end the apartheid regime and establish democracy inspired millions of people around the world. In 1993, Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize.
#10 Muhammad
Muhammad was born in 570 AD in the city of Mecca (Mecca, modern Saudi Arabia). He is considered a Muslim prophet and the founder of the Islamic religion. Being not only a preacher, but also a politician, Muhammad united all the Arab peoples of those times into a single Muslim empire, which conquered most of the Arabian Peninsula.
The author of the Qur'an started out with a few followers, but eventually his teachings and practices formed the basis of the Islamic religion, which is now the second most popular religion in the world, with some 1.8 billion believers.
#11 Nicholas Winton
Nicholas Winton was a British philanthropist, and since the late 1980s he has become best known for smuggling 669 Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia just before World War II. Winton transported all these children to British orphanages, and some of them even managed to be placed with families, which definitely saved them all from inevitable death in concentration camps or during the bombings.
The philanthropist organized as many as 8 trains from Prague and also took children out of Vienna, but using other modes of transport. The Englishman never sought fame, and for 49 years he kept his heroic deed a secret. In 1988, Winton’s wife discovered a notebook with notes from 1939 and the addresses of the families who took in young Salvationists.
Since then, recognition, orders and awards have fallen upon him. Nicholas Winton died at the age of 106 in 2015.
#12 The 14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama, or by birth Lhamo Thondup, is a 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a renowned preacher of Buddhist philosophy of peace, professing respect for all life on Earth and calling for the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
The former spiritual and political leader of Tibet in exile, the 14th Dalai Lama always tried to find a compromise and sought reconciliation with the Chinese authorities who invaded Tibet with territorial claims. In addition, Lhamo Dhondrub is a passionate supporter of the women's rights movement, interfaith dialogues and advocates for solving global environmental problems.
#13 Mother Teresa
A Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa devoted almost her entire life to serving the poor, sick, disabled and orphans. She founded the charitable movement and women's monastic congregation “Missionary Sisters of Love” (Congregatio Sororum Missionarium Caritatis), which exists in almost all countries of the world (in 133 countries as of 2012).
In 1979, Mother Teresa became a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and 19 years after her death (in 2016), she was canonized by Pope Francis himself.
#14 Charles Darwin
A famous British traveler, naturalist, geologist and biologist, Charles Darwin is most famous for his theory, which changed the understanding of human nature and the development of the world in all its diversity. Theory of evolution and natural selection Darwin's theory suggests that all species of living organisms, including humans, are descended from common ancestors.
This concept shocked the entire scientific community at one time. Darwin published The Theory of Evolution with some examples and evidence in his revolutionary book On the Origin of Species in 1859, and since then our world and the way we understand it have changed greatly.
#15 Simon Bolivar
Also known as the Libertador, Simon Bolivar was a prominent Venezuelan military and political leader who played a key role in the liberation of six countries in South and Central America - Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama - from Spanish rule.
Bolivar was born into a wealthy aristocratic family, but he devoted most of his life to military campaigns and the fight for the independence of the Spanish colonies in America. The country of Bolivia, by the way, was named in honor of this hero and liberator.
#16 Unknown rebel
This is the conventional name given to an unknown man who independently held back a column of tanks for half an hour during the protests in Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen, China) in 1989. In those days, hundreds of protesters, most of whom were ordinary students, died in clashes with the military.
The identity and fate of the unknown rebel remains unknown, but the photograph has become an international symbol of courage and peaceful resistance.
#17 Gautama Buddha
Also known as Siddhartha Gautama (from birth), Tathagata (the comer) or Bhagavan (the blessed one), Shakyamuni Buddha (the awakened sage of the Shakya lineage) was the spiritual leader and founder of Buddhism, one of the world's three leading religions. Buddha was born in the 6th century BC into a royal family and lived in absolute isolation and luxury.
As the prince grew older, he left his family and all his property to plunge into self-discovery and seek to rid humanity of suffering. After several years of meditation and contemplation, Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha. Through his teachings, Shakyamuni Buddha influenced the lives of millions of people around the world.
#18 Sigmund Freud
Austrian neurologist and founder of the science of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud is famous precisely for his unique research into the mysterious world of the human subconscious. With them, he forever changed the way we evaluate ourselves and the people around us.
Freud's work influenced 20th-century psychology, sociology, medicine, art, and anthropology, and his therapeutic techniques and theories in psychoanalysis are still studied and practiced today.
#19 Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is one of the most respected and influential scientists of all time. This outstanding theoretical physicist, Nobel laureate and public figure-humanist gave the world over 300 scientific works on physics and about 150 books and articles on history, philosophy and other humanitarian areas.
His whole life was full of interesting research, revolutionary ideas and theories, which later became fundamental for modern science. Einstein was most famous for his Theory of Relativity, and thanks to this work he became one of the greatest personalities in human history.
Even after almost a century, this Theory continues to influence the thinking of the modern scientific community working to create a Theory of Everything (or Unified Field Theory).
#20 Christopher Columbus
The famous Italian explorer, traveler and colonizer, Christopher Columbus was not the first European to sail to America (after all, the Vikings had been here before him). However, his voyages gave rise to an entire era of the most outstanding discoveries, conquests and colonizations, which continued for several centuries after his death.
Columbus's travels to the New World greatly influenced the development of geography of those times, because at the beginning of the 15th century people still believed that the Earth was flat and that there were no more lands beyond the Atlantic.
#21 Rosa Parks
Also known as the "First Lady" civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement," Rosa Parks was a true pioneer and founder of the black civil rights movement in 1950s Alabama, which was still heavily segregated by race.
In 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a courageous African-American woman and passionate civil rights activist, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, disobeying the driver's orders.
Her rebellious act provoked other blacks into what was later called the legendary "Montgomery Bus Boycott." This boycott lasted 381 days and became one of the key events in the history of the black civil rights movement in the United States.
This is one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century. Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for his peaceful movement against discrimination, racial segregation and for the civil rights of black Americans, for which he even received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
Martin Luther King was a Baptist preacher and powerful speaker who inspired millions of people around the world to fight for democratic freedoms and their rights. He played a key role in promoting civil rights through peaceful protests based on Christian faith and the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.
#23 Tim Berners-Lee
Tim Berners-Lee is a British engineer, inventor and computer scientist best known as the creator of the World Wide Web. Sometimes called the "Father of the Internet", Berners-Lee developed the first hypertext web browser, web server and web editor.
The technologies of this outstanding scientist spread worldwide and forever changed the way information is generated and processed.
#24 Henry Dunant
A successful Swiss entrepreneur and active public figure, Henri Dunant became the first person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. During a business trip in 1859, Dunant encountered the terrible consequences of the Battle of Solferino (Italy), where the troops of Napoleon, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire under the leadership of Franz Joseph I clashed, and the troops were left to die on the battlefield. almost 9 thousand wounded.
In 1863, in response to the horrors of war and the brutality of the battle he saw, the entrepreneur founded the well-known International Committee of the Red Cross. The Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, adopted in 1864, was also based on ideas expressed by Henri Dunant.
William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest writers and playwrights in the English language, and he has had a profound influence on a galaxy of literary figures, as well as millions of readers around the world.
In addition, Shakespeare introduced about 2,000 new words, most of which are still in use today. English language. With his works, the national poet of England has inspired a great many composers, artists and film directors from all over the world.
