Most important figure of the 20th Century?

[Bossy Monkey]

I apologize in advance that all but one are men. And of course there's an infinite number of interpretations of the word "important". For Other votes, just write in in the form of a reply to the thread (Sorry!)

On edit: MLK replaces JP Morgan; Bushes replace Greenspan; Rosa Parks replaces Reagan. Y'all should think about this, though; Morgan and Greenspan had tremendous impact on the 20th Century. (Surprised nobody mentioned Lenin, for that matter)

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. Rosa Parks

eom.

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. Thanks UDL!!

:hug:

[Bossy Monkey]

26. No prob, glad to do it n/t

[Zynx]

2. Unfortunately, Hitler.

Anyone who starts a war that completely alters world history and kills fifty million people has to up there.

[slackmaster]

4. If not for Hitler the atomic bomb might not have been invented

Perhaps the same could be said for Einstein or FDR.

Regretably I had to vote for Hitler as well.

[skooooo]

3. Chuck Berry...

...because he personifies such a total cultural revolution that has swept (most of) the western world.

[IronLionZion]

5. Ghandi

began the breakup of the British Empire which controlled 2/5 of the world's land and supposedly all of the world's oceans.

His actions led to nonviolent movements in America, South Africa, and elsewhere.

Proved that the white man's burden doesn't need the white man around.

No matter how small, weak or old you are you can still change the world.

"We Shall Overcome" anything we put our minds to.

Give peace a chance,
Indy

[Snow]

7. For all of you who felt bad voting for Hitler, I'm going to support

the votes for Ghandhi - Sometimes living in our provincial little country it's hard to sense what the rest of the world thinks is important. Trust me on this; Ghandhi has been enormously influential.

[IronLionZion]

12. yeah like civil/human rights

if you like your civil rights then after thanking MLK you need to thank Ghandi.

You don't have to kill people to be influential.

:toast:
cheers,
Indy

[Mattforclark]

6. Adolphus Hitlavus

Maybe the 21st century can do better. :shrug:

[AntiCoup2K4]

8. Write in for Prescott Bush

Hate the fucking bastard and I hope he's slow roasting over the flames of Hell right this very moment. But let's face it, as the funder of Hitler, co-founder of the CIA, orchestrator of the Eisenhower-Nixon Ticket, father of Poppy, and grandfather of that dumb son of a bitch in the White House currently, he's had a direct or indirect impact on damn near every major event in history of the last 70 years (though some connections have yet to be proven, they're highly probable)

[pss]

9. I voted for FDR...

...but I really think that Teddy Roosevelt's influence needs to be included. Those two cousins combined (though not together) did more to shape the modern world than any other family. Unfortunately, modern political families don't seem to have the same class, or vision...

[RC]

10. Where's the women?

I thought women were the ones with figures.

[bloodyjack]

11. i voted Stalin

he did kill a lot of anarchists

[stellanoir]

13. his high holy imminence. . .

the Dalai Lama

[bloodyjack]

14. the Dalai Lama can wiggle his ears

also he's on the CIA payroll

[Selwynn]

37. WTF?

[Whitacre D_WI]

15. Al Hedges.

Today, you say "who?"

But 96 years from now, you will nod you feeble old heads in agreement.

[Bossy Monkey]

16. Thennnnnnnnn, that would be the 21st Century, wouldn't it? n/t

[Whitacre D_WI]

18. No.

Just wait.

[Mattforclark]

19. OK, I waited

Now what?

[Bossy Monkey]

24. Aw, c'mon! I'm only going to live to 2050; gimme a hint! n/t

[Mattforclark]

17. Ah, I want to change mine

from Hitler to the Serbian "black hand" guy who shot Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in the summer of 1914.

[Bossy Monkey]

20. How about the idiots who burned the manure in a dust storm in 1918?

Hello Spanish flu pandemic! http://ragz-international.com/spanish_influenza_of_1918.htm

[Mattforclark]

23. But influenza

only killed 20 million (according to your link). And then it was done. Whereas you could make a reasonable case that not only did the Serbian nationalist 'cause' World War I, but that led to World War II, which led to the cold war.

[geniph]

22. Thinking over the long term,

in other words, which one's life and works will have the longest-lasting effects, my vote goes to Einstein.

[sir_captain]

25. Churchill should be on the list too

though I vote for Hitler

[Feanorcurufinwe]

27. Gavrilo Princip

[Bossy Monkey]

29. 2d time he's come up. But the question is, Who set up the alliances

such that one assassination could precipitate a world war? I don't know (and am not going to admit to consulting Encarta, which didn't know either) but can't think Gavrilo alone caused the war.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

33. Well

of course he didn't set up the situation - many people did that. But he was the precipitate cause. Kinda like a bomb - sure someone has to make it, but if it is never blown up, it's importance is significantly lessened. And not only did his two bullets did light the fuse that exploded into world war, but it's not hard to make the case that the root cause of WWII -- was WWI.

Luckily, no American President is on the list for starting WWIII -- another bomb that didn't go off (yet).

[m-jean03]

28. Marilyn Monroe had a nice figure

I don't know how important it was, though:shrug:

[solinvictus]

30. Hitler

Whose 115th birthday was today.

[WillyBrandt]

31. Rick James

[Faygo Kid]

32. "Time" chose Einstein. I agree.

He changed pretty much everything, and did it when young over a breathtakingly short span of years. His postulations were so radical, so unexpected, and so sudden, that their eventual discovery cannot be taken for granted. Plenty of good candidates, but I will agree with "Time," and say Einstein.

[LostInAnomie]

34. Sadly Hitler...

While I agree that in the future Einstein's theories will be very important, other will improve on them and make the ideas their own.

Hitler on the other hand will be discussed for the next 500 years as possibly the most evil man to ever live. He is not only important to history, but also sociology, psychology, political science, philosophy, etc. It's sad but true.

[FDRrocks]

35. Hitler, he was a looking glass.

Him and Mussolini were media darlings in the US prior to the start of the war. It gave of a glimpse of the world that our country will eventually fall into, under the leadership of corporate puppets in our "2 party system" that keep duping the populous into voting for them.

Hegel was also vastly more important than many on the list, in my opinion.

edit: I loved my post selection page "You selected: Hitler" ... heck!

[Bossy Monkey]

36. Heeheeheeheeheehee! "You selected: Hitler"! No wonder I haven't voted

You know that Hegel lived in the 19th century, right?

[Bossy Monkey]

38. I'm sure the Bushes are crushed to be the only shutout (although

Prescott got a writein before I edited the poll)

[Rhiannon12866]

39. I chose FDR. His wise decisions still guide this nation

but continue to erode everyday. I am hoping that we can get out of the shadow of the Bush* pere et fils and move on and back into a kinder and more unilateral way of dealing with the rest of the world. I did consider choosing Chuck Berry, LOL! He does rock!:D