When was the last time the most powerful person in the world was *not* of purely European descent?

[muriel_volestrangler]

(or practically of European descent)

1492? Perhaps before that it was the Emperor of China - but once the European powers were those sailing and controlling the oceans, it was probably a European monarch, or politician - until it was a white American politician.

They just had Eddie Izzard on the BBC, saying "this is the start of the 3rd millennium". It is a real turning point.

[kwassa]

1. Depends on what you mean by pure

If you follow the "one-drop" rule that the US used to determine blackness, some European monarchs would be considered black.

[dynasaw]

2. Warren Harding

His great grandfather was Black.

[WilliamPitt]

3. Ghengis Khan, Tamerlane, Constantine

[silverojo]

4. Let's not get racist here....

There's nothing wrong with being of European descent OR African descent OR any other descent.