Blog Catalog Discussion: Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:44:10 -0500

Yes she was amazing. Come to that Mark Twain was a fairly incredible guy himself. Apart from the Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn thing, I loved his book about how to be a steamboat captain on the Mississippi!

poetbdk on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

poetbdk — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:03:56 -0500

Saint Joan of Arc was described by Mark Twain as the "only entirely unselfish person in history." She was truly amazing.
http://www.maidofheaven.com/

flamingpoodle on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

flamingpoodle — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:24:24 -0600

Yes! He's like someone from an Ayn Rand book.

Praz on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Praz — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:33:13 -0600

The fact that he actually dug Ditches is truly astounding to understand.

Imagine a person of Genius level intellect digging ditches for his sworn rival for a year. Now that takes some bravado.

Kobolito on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Kobolito — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:42:09 -0600

Frederic the Great and you can read (and see a video about) why on:

http://www.blogbert.nl/2008/12/frederik-de-grote.html

katergazomai on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

katergazomai — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:18:50 -0600

St. Peter and Charles the Hammer

St.Peter's simply amazing in his humility. He took well St. Paul's rebuke, he didn't allow his power to go to his head. One has to have a glimpse of the kind of power St. Peter had to appreciate the magnitude of his humility- he could heal the sick, raise the dead, cure lepers; he had dominion over unclean spirits; on his mere saying it, people could die; whatever he says, heaven confirms. YET, HE NEVER BECAME DRUNK WITH ALL THIS POWER. Amazing.

The authorship of Hebrews, to me the grandest of the epistles, remains unknown. I suspect it's Peter's, written through Luke.

Charles Hammer- in the way he defeated the Muslims in a battle there's NO WAY he could have won. Did you know how? He had a number of his men steal up at the back of the Muslim camp, and had them raid the camp of the plunder that comes with victory. The Muslims, seeing how the Franks were running away with their loot, broke ranks to go back to their camp. That allowed Charles the Hammer to rout them.

SpiritualBloggers on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

SpiritualBloggers — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:28:20 -0600

I'm going with satijournal on Barack Obama. People don't seem to 'get it' yet, how instrumental he is going to be.

Rich on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Rich — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:54:38 -0600

Richard Feynman.

He knew his stuff but didn't profess to know everything; and he didn't care what other people thought. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman

aningeniousname on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

aningeniousname — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:40:26 -0600

Sir Richard Francis Burton, linguist, writer, poet, soldier, explorer and so much more.
He is probably one of the most fascinating characters of the Victorian era, the first non muslim to enter Mecca (he dressed as an Arab trader), translator of the Kama sutra and all round rogue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton

flamingpoodle on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

flamingpoodle — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:12:41 -0600

Wow! The Indian Machiavelli? That's so interesting, thank you.

prachijoshi on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

prachijoshi — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:06:21 -0600

If anyone here knows Ancient Indian History then i would like to say It's Kautilya(Chanakya)4thc BCE- One who shuddered the roots of Mauryan Empire. Himself son of an ordinary priest who was killed by king's people vowed to avenge his father's death and thus formed the Golden history of Mauryas.
you can check out links below, He was a remarkable politician and economist as well. Still today his work on economics-Arthshastra is considered as the major treatise on economics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanakya
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/arthashastra.html
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/India/kautilya1.html

CoyoteRose on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

CoyoteRose — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:33:04 -0600

President John Quincy Adams(6th):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Quincy_Adams

He wrote one of the most influential ideas in American political history and he let the sitting president take credit for it. After being president he went on to serve his state in the House and Representatives. He successfully won the freedom of the Africans aboard the Amistad and he never billed them for services rendered.

flamingpoodle on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

flamingpoodle — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:19:45 -0600

Mine is Nikolai Tesla:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

Because he wasn't afraid to go against the current.

flamingpoodle on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

flamingpoodle — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:09:36 -0600

Shaka was actually a colonialist in his own right. He grew his empire by invading neighbouring tribes, killing the men and raping the women, then raising their children as soldiers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mfecane

He was also assassinated by his half-brother Dingane if I remember correctly. The Boers also regard Shaka as a hero because he held out so long against British rule. To this day, there is an alliance between the Zulu and the Boers.

We were taught about Shaka Zulu in history during school. Shaka had a great military tactic (which is now disputed among historians) and he certainly is a folk hero to South Africans.

ophase on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

ophase — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:04:00 -0600

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk - A man stands against the biggest empires at wars and choosing the democracy while creating a new nation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Kemal_AtatÃ¼rk

Jean Paul Sartre - For his wide point of view, creating an idealogy and principles that even caused to reject receiving Nobel Prize.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sartre

Bertrand Russel - For his predictions and revolutionary contributions to Philosophy, Mathematics and Religion. He took the math from naive structure to the axiomatic structure with Russell paradox
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell

George Bernard Shaw - for his way of thinking and quotes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw

Richard Phillips Feynman - for his contributions to the physics and his way of making everything understandable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - for emotional contributions to the world music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ilyich_Tchaikovsky

Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Rumi - for his revolutionary contributions to Religion philosophy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:39:07 -0600

The thing I like best about Jesus is when he said, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve."

Sorry if I got the quote wrong, but you get the idea.

creemos on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

creemos — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:40:03 -0600

Jesus Christ. No one can compare his past, present and future influence on all generations. Interestingly enough - he is the only One whom the world sets time's reference too.

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:25:02 -0600

An excellent choice!

calais50 on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

calais50 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:18:52 -0600

Mother Teresa for her humility and humanitarian efforts.

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:15:54 -0600

I bet a few years ago, there would have been lots of people who said Leonardo Da Vinci was their favourite. But ever since that book came out, I think LDV has lost some ground in the polls...

LGramlich on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

LGramlich — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:16:18 -0600

Boudicca, a Celtic queen (of sorts,) who led her army against the Romans, almost stopping their invasion of Britain. A smart, brave, honorable, self-sacrificing woman.

Jhangora on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Jhangora — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:14:38 -0600

Chingis Khan, cuz he has been the greatest conqueror so far.

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:11:32 -0600

I love Beethoven, his music is like life itself. And of course he wrote the tune for the Anthem of the EU, which I also love.

And I love Bach, for the glorious complexity of his work; it sometimes seems as if his music is a reflection of the divine blueprint of the inner workings of the universe.

And how could anyone not love Mozart? Now that really does seem impossible.

So you see, it's very difficult to choose...

jeremylong on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

jeremylong — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:17:11 -0600

Mozart and
Bertrand Russell

radu on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

radu — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:19:18 -0600

I like Beethoven's music. As personalities, hmm... I think I would also vote for Beethoven.

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:15:16 -0600

Sherlock Holmes was actually a fictional character, of course. But he has figured so largely in the public imagination that many people talk of him as if he were real. Thousands make the pilgrimage to 221b Baker Street to view the place where the famous detective "actually lived" and that address regularly receives mail addressed to him.

To keep within the bounds of this discussion thread, and to choose a person who actually existed, I suppose you could say you admire Arthur Conan Doyle. This would be apt, since it has been said that the characters of Holmes and Watson represent the two sides of Doyle's own personality.

lordsomber on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

lordsomber — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:01:29 -0600

Sherlock Holmes... he was such a character!

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 10:37:56 -0600

In music history, I can't decide between Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven. Can anyone help?

Rich on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Rich — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:46:46 -0600

Tonight, I'm picking Betty Page. RIP. :(

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:45:04 -0600

Yeah OK well leaving aside the cult religion stuff and the claims that Jesus was or was not the son of God (which is at the very least, a highly debatable claim), I always thought most people accepted that there was a real historical person in there somewhere. If it's something most people accept, and you say it's untrue, then yes you do have to disprove it. However, it's not important to this thread, which is about admirable people and why they are admirable!

Paul8bee on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Paul8bee — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:50:09 -0600

Filosophia
Yes it is Albert Ellis that I admire the most. His straight forward logic hit me right between the eyes. After reading the first bit of his book Humanistic Psychotherapy, I had learned more about myself and the human race than all other sources combined.
I finally understood the source of my troubles, it was my wandering day dreaming mind. I thought that my thinking was logical and correct, but found out I was sleep walking. Ellis got right into my soul and showed me exactly, in no uncertain terms, what the trouble was, and he offered a simple program RET to fix it.

Sure I admire people who have had a impact on other people in general, but Ellis had a huge impact on "ME Personally, this is what makes him special to me. He is not a statistic that I read about in school, but his writings played an active part in my life. I am sure that countless thousands feel the same way.

Albert Ellis (September 27, 1913 – July 24, 2007. Although I never met the man personally, I read his books in 1994 and it has stuck with me ever since. So I guess now having passed on, as a person he is history but his writings will live on. I am sure of that. He would have been an interesting person to have a conversation with.

great thread here.. thank you

Epicharis on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Epicharis — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:16:38 -0600

@filosofia....you don't prove that something is not the case...you prove that it is. There is no historical evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, he probably did exist, but there is no historical record or evidence of his existence except for the cult of Christ (ie. Christianity {Christianity is a cult religion before anyone gets arsey, look it up})

kdawg68 on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

kdawg68 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:33:36 -0600

the cool thing is - apparently half of Asia is descended from Genghis Khan, so I suppose in some ways he's never really left us.

For Stalin, I think it was the mustache. That definitely made the man.

Jeunelle on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Jeunelle — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:31:02 -0600

Funny you mentioned Gengis Khan...I was thinking the same thing.
I would be interested to know what makes people like Gengis Khan tick.
Where they got their point of view...people like Stalin, who decided to starve off most of Russia. How the hell do people like him sleep at night, I would love to know?

kdawg68 on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

kdawg68 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:22:04 -0600

I've always wanted to meet one of the oddballs of history - the strange, bizarre, and unfathomable Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. I suspect he wouldn't be very pleasant to be around though.

Apart from that, I'd love to meet the "first human" - whether you believe that was actually someone named "Adam" or our first fully evolved member of the human species. How fascinating that would be. Really anyone from what we might consider a "pre-historic" era. Clovis indians...Kennewick man - you name it, I'd like to meet them. Heck, how about the celtic looking mummies from the Taklamakan desert? What stories might they have?

Hannibal Barca is another high on my list. As are Alexander, Little Turtle, and Gengis Khan.

Jeunelle on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

Jeunelle — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:24:42 -0600

Hey you asked and I told you and I don't care if you didn't like my answer,
don't ask if you don't want to hear it. We need another world war...too many people on the planet already due to excessive over population & not enough food for them to eat or water to drink. And I fully agree with Shaka "It is death or victory".

satijournal on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

satijournal — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:14:31 -0600

I'm going to go with Barack Obama. We're witnessing history in the making. At a time when the economy is in crisis and our foreign policy in shambles, we have someone who is assembling a team of the best and the brightest. Almost makes you proud to be an American.

My first election was in 1980, so all I've really known is Reaganomics. This is the end of Reagan's disaster policies and his war on the middle class.

LynneaUrania on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

LynneaUrania — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:21:30 -0600

There are a lot I admire...including some current ones. One of them recently asked me permission in Facebook to be a friend. Who was it?

Tzipi Livni. Yup...the Israeli leader herself who has been fighting prejudice to hold a country together.

12 hours later she was gone! (Slichah, bevakashah, Tzipi?)

What was THAT all about?

ROFL!!! I guess I was too straaaaaaange for her!

filosofia on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

filosofia — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:17:39 -0600

A few admirable people might be, say, Einstein, Shakespeare, Michelangelo. Buddha, Jesus, Confucius, Mandela...

lotusb on 'Who is the Historical Person You Most Admire - and Why?'

lotusb — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:16:03 -0600

Alice Walker. Who lived by a standard of beauty and truth that I as a black woman follow. I'm proud to be a fellow Womanist.