Who are the Great figures of History?

I really enjoy perusing the NYT Book Review.  It is a great way to provoke thoughts that get you out of the here and now.

I missed the original book review, but saw a short blurb on a new book about Michelangelo.  And I had the thought that he was certainly one of the top 10 people who ever lived.  Which started me thinking who else would be on that list.  So I started to create one in my brain, and I have come up short.

Einstein would be on the list.  Freud would be on the list, perhaps.

After that, it gets a bit jumbled up.

What are the criteria?  My 1st one is that there has to be no question that the person lived.  So that leaves out all the people in the various bibles, because I am not sure any of them really lived.  So I guess any creationists reading this will sign off now.

My 2nd criteria is the person had to have a dominating influence on much that has happened since their being alive in their discipline.

My 3rd criteria is what they did has to stand head and shoulders above what others did.

So after Michelangelo, Einstein and Freud, where can you go?

It does seem like Thomas Jefferson would deserve some consideration, but what in the documents that founded the U.S. were ideas that were his alone?  What about the reliance on the Magna Carta and who was responsible for that? I don't think it was any one person.

And while there were other U.S. politicians responsible for the great ideas that form U.S. Democratic ideals, I don't think any of them individually rise up to the level of the 3 have already named.

Similarly, the great composers get all mixed up in my mind and while collectively Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky belong on the list, I cannot say a single one of them does.

On the Evil side, Karl Marx, Lenin, Hitler, Napoleon might belong on the list, but I am reluctant to put them on it.  And if they are not on it, how can Churchill, FDR or Lincoln be on it.

Since it was the writing of books that started this, what about author's.  I know there is a generation of Americans who might put Herman Hesse on this list, but he doesn't have the permanent stature that I was thinking of when I started this.

Then there are sports, but other than Michael Jordan, few star athletes are global or will persist for generations.  If this list were limited to Americans, I would put Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan on it.

So I am 7 short of my desired number and for the moment I will leave it at Michelangelo, Einstein and Freud.  If you have any candidates, leave them in the comments section.

P.S. one week later.  I would put Leonardo da Vinci on this list.  So we are up to four.

And Bill Gates/Steve Jobs would merit consideration as a duo.  Although while they had vision, they obviously had to hire a lot of people to create the products that changed the world.

P.S.S.  Benjamin Franklin definitely belongs on the list.  Discovery of Electricity, creation of the Post Office, and many other things.

P.S.S.S  I will now add Aristotle and Sir Isaac Newton.

So the list now consists of Aristotle, Sir Isaac Newton, Michaelangelo, Lenonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Einstein and Freud.  And my son who was visiting as I wrote this put forth Confucious.  I do believe he is worthy,  so now we have 8.   My son thought I was being too critical about Evil people and said I should consider Ghenkis kahn but after reading about him I deem him not up to the high standards of this list.