NationStates Jolt Archive

Which people from history do you think are known all over the world?

Basically, I would like to know people's opinion on which people from history would be recognised by the citizens of any country. ie universally recognised.
I had trouble coming up with more than a few names, most from the past century.
Hitler,Einstein,Neil Armstrong(not sure about this, should be though). Religious figures I conclude are generally well known, so i've chosen to ignore them.
My major concern is that being from a western country, i am biased towards choosing well known people from western society, but may not be well known in other countries. I can think of other names, but they are less likely to be known by non-western countries.

One thought I had was are people from history more likely to be remembered for doing good or evil? I think that it normally easier to remember people who did bad things.

I don't want discussion on current famous people and their chances of being remembered in the future. I might start a different thread for that.

Your ideas would be welcomed.

I would think that Genghis Kahn would be pretty well known throughout the world, seeing as how he conquered such a huge chunk of it. I'm pretty sure Asians remember him, and he's well known throughout western culture, which covers most of Europe, Australia and the Americas, but I don't know if he's well known in Africa.

Julius Caeser, he's pretty well known in the western world, dont know about the rest of the wrold tho...

Elvis?
George Bush in his various incarnations.

I think the same would apply to Alexander the Great...though he'd be more well known in Africa.

Erm. A few suggestions...

Darwin? Christopher Columbus? Churchill? Queen Victoria? Gandhi?

Current people is probably easier - Mandela, Kofi Annan, Bush, Blair, Saddam, Bin Laden, QE2. Dare I say it... Beckham?

Still a pretty Anglophile list, I concede.

Erm. A few suggestions...

Darwin? Christopher Columbus? Churchill? Queen Victoria? Gandhi?

Current people is probably easier - Mandela, Kofi Annan, Bush, Blair, Saddam, Bin Laden, QE2. Dare I say it... Beckham?

Still a pretty Anglophile list, I concede.

I'm in Egypt and EVERYONE here knows Beckham. Probably more than they know anyone else. Once when I told someone I was from the US he was like "ah yes, Bush?" and I was like "ah, no." So they know who Bush is too. I don't know who else though.

I'm in Egypt and EVERYONE here knows Beckham. Probably more than they know anyone else. Once when I told someone I was from the US he was like "ah yes, Bush?" and I was like "ah, no." So they know who Bush is too. I don't know who else though.

Yeah, I'll bet virtually everyone recognizes soccer/football players. Except maybe in the US and Canada. Beckham is a football player, right?

Beckham is a football player, right?
No, he's a professional celebrity and tabloid model.

Lol. Yeah, he´s one of the most famous ones, married to one of the spice girls. I think his oldest son should have been named Old Spice :P

Another suggestion... Prince William? If only because he's our only good-looking, photogenic royal (although, is it me, or is he looking more like a horse every day?)

Hitler. Known and most likely recognised.

Other than that, in historical context, Napoleon, Mao Tse Tung, Lenin, Stalin, Columbus, Kleopatra...

Another suggestion... Prince William? If only because he's our only good-looking, photogenic royal (although, is it me, or is he looking more like a horse every day?)

In what way is he history? ;)

David Hasselhoff

Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha.

Santa? T-Rex? Mr. Potatohead? :D

Seriously, I suppoose Hitler, kinda hard to miss him, aint it?
Some other people remembered for bad things: Mao, Stalin, Bill Gates (damn those bugs! :p )

Where do you start? There have been so many famous ppl I wouldn't know where to begin. I did however read the bio of Konrad Adenear-I'm not sure that he would be globally known, but wow he was very cool!

What aboiut Attilla the Hun, Kubla Khan from history, as for modern history, mostly dictators (i.e. Hiter, Stalin, Lenin etc.) Also we have the artists, Monet, and Van Gogh. And the musicians, Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Madonna. BUt my favorite person from history that everyone should know but might not... Rasputin (crazy russians are cool)

Beckham?
I had no idea who that was until I read this thread, but I don’t follow soccer.

I heard years ago that Mickey Mouse was #1...

Historical/Current figures known to nearly everyone on earth:

Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Gandhi (Mohatma, Mohandas and/or Indira), Confucious, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, George Washington, Alexander the Great, Alfred the Great/Henry VIII, Charlemagne, Attila (sp?), Julius Caesar, Plato/Aristotle/Socrates, Shakespeare, Pope John Paul II, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Pele/Maradona/Platini/Beckham/Zidane/Ronaldo/Ronaldinho (soccer is big everywhere, pretty much), Muhammad Ali, Bill Gates, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Khofi Annan (sp?), Vladimir Putin, Saddam Hussein, Usama Bin Laden, Cristobal Colon/Chris Columbus, Magellan, Carl Lewis, Napoleon Bonaparte, Mussolini (Il Duce), Robert Mugabi, Pinochet, the guy who freed South America (forget the name... Franco?) from European rule, Michael Jackson, Madonna, the Beatles, the Stones, Elvis, Mozart/Bach/Beethoven, Nelson Mandela, and the A-list Hollywood celebrities...

the guy who freed South America (forget the name... Franco?
Doesn't count. :p

I did however read the bio of Konrad Adenear-I'm not sure that he would be globally known, but wow he was very cool!
You think?
Very influential, but "cool"? More like the definition of anti-cool...

Mao Tse Tung.
Problem is with this "everywhere in the world". Imagine the poor and illiterate underclass in the suburbs of India, Africa and the US or other countries with a bad education/information due to poverty or extreme capitalisme, probably they'll better know Beckham then one of the politicians or scientists.

Historical/Current figures known to nearly everyone on earth:

Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Gandhi (Mohatma, Mohandas and/or Indira), Confucious, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, George Washington, Alexander the Great, Alfred the Great/Henry VIII, Charlemagne, Attila (sp?), Julius Caesar, Plato/Aristotle/Socrates, Shakespeare, Pope John Paul II, Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Pele/Maradona/Platini/Beckham/Zidane/Ronaldo/Ronaldinho (soccer is big everywhere, pretty much), Muhammad Ali, Bill Gates, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Khofi Annan (sp?), Vladimir Putin, Saddam Hussein, Usama Bin Laden, Cristobal Colon/Chris Columbus, Magellan, Carl Lewis, Napoleon Bonaparte, Mussolini (Il Duce), Robert Mugabi, Pinochet, the guy who freed South America (forget the name... Franco?) from European rule, Michael Jackson, Madonna, the Beatles, the Stones, Elvis, Mozart/Bach/Beethoven, Nelson Mandela, and the A-list Hollywood celebrities...
Dont think the poor in Asia will recognise Mugabe (known in UK, Zimbabwe but for the rest), Muhamad Ali, Washington, Charlemagne, Plato, Lance Armstrong (LOL), Jordan aso.

Nice google but I think the OP did not mean to have goole tests.

Marx

Religious figures I conclude are generally well known, so i've chosen to ignore them.


Hehe. That would be the Christian religious figures.


It's even more difficult when you go to a school that teaches you a lot about hte world, because I assume other people know who people like LiBai and Zhu Ba Jie are. I would say your best bet is people from Western history. I'm sorry, but people on the west seem to be much more ignorant regarding what's on the other half of the globe than the people on the east are.

The Dalai Lama, hopefully.

Err... Confucious? Mother Theresa? Castro. Che Guevara (sp?). Karl Marx.

Harry Potter.

Dont think the poor in Asia will recognise Mugabe (known in UK, Zimbabwe but for the rest), Muhamad Ali, Washington, Charlemagne, Plato, Lance Armstrong (LOL), Jordan aso.

Nice google but I think the OP did not mean to have goole tests.

Woah... the guys in Vietnam and stuff are poor, but they aren't stupid! I'm sure you'll find people who know who Plato is.

What about Pythagoras?

I heard years ago that Mickey Mouse was #1...

Me too.

Pity about Donald Duck though. Banned in Finland because of his lack of pants.

But that doesn't count. Mickey isn't history (:

Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."

Mohandas K. Gandhi on nonviolence

Woah... the guys in Vietnam and stuff are poor, but they aren't stupid! I'm sure you'll find people who know who Plato is.


I speak about the people on the land, farmers, sheperds aso that often still live in the early 19th century. I know that lot's of people in Peking, Bombay aso have acces to reading, press aso. But last summer, I went from Rawall Pindi airport in Pakistan with a Jeep to the Karakorum (K2 range) and I can confirm that most (very nice and warm) people did not know shit about those people.

I know what you mean about Vietnam. China, Vietnam ao.situation is somewhat different, they lived under a communist system so they had better acces for scolarship (on the countryside to obliged until 16/18 in those systems). Just watch and compare Cuba with non socialist/communist systems in S. America and you know. Not that I plide for a communist system or so, buh, just saying what I saw there in Pakistan and China about development and the people they were able to know. Beckham was knowed, Osaoma not.

I's say that historical figures who are known all over the world are Churchill, Gandhi, Caesar, Napoleon, Nelson, Hitler, Lincoln, Stalin, Marx.

People around today who would be well recognised would be Bush, Mandela, Castro, Beckham, Pele, Maradona, Blair, Gorbachev, Thatcher, Schumacher, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan and so forth...

I's say that historical figures who are known all over the world are Churchill, Gandhi, Caesar, Napoleon, Nelson, Hitler, Lincoln, Stalin, Marx.

People around today who would be well recognised would be Bush, Mandela, Castro, Beckham, Pele, Maradona, Blair, Gorbachev, Thatcher, Schumacher, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan and so forth...

I agree with most of the first list, though Nelson & Lincoln are questionable... I'd give Washington and John Lennon ahead of them.

As for the second list, Schumacher might have a 3% recognition factor in the US, never mind places like Belize. Sports stars are also a passing thing... I know Pele because I grew up in the 70s, but I doubt too many kids in India today (or Indiana, for that matter) know him.

I'd add: Pope John Paul II, Beethoven, Monet, Elvis Presley, Kim Jong Il, John F Kennedy, and David Hasselhoff (you'd be AMAZED how popular Baywatch is.).