Politician - Otto van Bismarck, the man who single-handedly unified the German states (over 100 of them) under Prussia, which eventually became Germany. He did so without declaring a single war, and instead coerced other states to declare war on him, and portray himself as a victim the whole time. He invented and perfected the practice of realpolitik, or doing whatever it takes (breaking treaties, etc) for your country's benefit.
Philosopher - Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, and proponent of the free market. His classical liberalism, with the ideas of the Invisible Hand that guides the market, man's own self interest, light taxation, and laizzes-faire capitalism in general, guides the American tradition to this day.
General - Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia. Anyone who survives in history as a legend is a hero in my book. He conquered the entire known civilized world at the time, and even transcended that boundary.
2007-06-02 10:01:11
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answer #1
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answered by Jim W 2
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I don’t know that I would use the term ‘hero’ but there are a number that personally meeting would have been interesting.
Nikola Tesla a true genius of the modern era.
Benjamin Franklin who had a great mind in so many different areas but retained a close touch with people.
Lysander Spooner one of the great scholars of Magna Carta.
William Faulkner along with Aldous Huxley and John Campbell would be fascinating dinner companions as well as top authors.
Such as Voltaire and Nietzsche would spice up any conversation.
2007-06-02 10:17:34
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answer #2
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answered by Randy 7
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I'm with Jim W, Alexander the Great's very name means "The Helper of Mankind." He did transcend the boundary and left an example for us all even unto these modern times. He was a brilliant Tactician, Statesmen, and Ruler. He conquered the known world by the time he was 31 and at 32 sat down and cried for he had no more "worlds to conquer." He gave the world it's first unified trade and road system, not to mention a common language, Koine' Greek, which is still used as a basis for many modern languages in the middle east. He truly was one of Hiostory's finest characters, any man that calls himself a historian is prone to agree...
2007-06-02 10:15:21
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answer #3
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answered by dluvshistory 4
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i have many heroes in history just to name a few:
Mary Queen of Scots
Mary I
Lord Admiral Nelson
Saint Thomas Moore
William Wallace
Robert the Bruce
Guy Fawkes
Winston Churchill
Florence Nightingale
Emiline Pankhurst
Queen Victoria
William Shakespeare
Sir Walter Raleigh
2007-06-05 03:49:19
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answer #4
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answered by Natalie W 2
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There are lots of contenders but Nelson, Pitt, Wellington and Churchill saved this country from defeat. Sir Francis Drake also saved us from a lot of problems! Also whoever said Bismarck, I agree with and I also have a soft spot for Metternich. These two had a great deal to do with the fact that Europe did not plunge into even more war. Hitler was not fit to lick their boots.
2007-06-03 10:42:35
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answer #5
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answered by Beau Brummell 6
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If I had to have a meal with someone, I'd pick Michael Collins. To find out how he and de Valera went from brothers in arms to arch-enemies. Yeah, definitely Collins. I could pick Dev, but Collins was the head of the army/IRA by then, so he might know better, right?
In the French history, it would probably be Louis XIV. I mean, the man stood up against the whole of Europe with no allies, and he won! Plus we don't much about his personal motives and stuff, so that could be interesting.
And if I was allowed guests during my lunch with one of these guys, I'd probably invite "classics" such as Napoleon, Martin Luther King, Henry VIII, ...
2007-06-03 08:52:50
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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King Boris - Michail of Bulgaria, who in 864 adopted Christianity and within a few years made it the official religion in Medieval Bulgaria. In the process he sacrificed his own son, who would not accept the new religion and tried to restore the "old ways". Boris I blinded him and put his second son Simeon on the throne.
During Boris I rule and upon his order the Slavic alphabet created by Cyril and Methodius and modified by their disciples was declared the official alphabet of the Slavic Bulgarian language during an assembly in 893.
This allowed for preaching Christianity to the people in their own understandable language and not in Greek or Latin which they could not understand.
2007-06-04 02:27:25
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answer #7
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answered by Eve 4
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Definitely Bonnie & Clyde!
I know to most (uninformed) people they were just a pair of depression-era outlaws, but there was much much more to the real story than that. In reality, Clyde Barrow was a crusader for a noble cause. He was NOT a cold-blooded killer; in fact, he hated having to kill, and only did so when there was no other way out. Most of the killings were actually committed by other gang members, and Bonnie NEVER fired a weapon!
You would have to really dig deep into their TRUE story to grasp just WHY they were heroic figures. All who knew them liked them. Even the lawmen who finally took them down in that bloody ambush on May 23, 1934 had a strange sort of admiration for them!
Unlike most other desperados of the era, Bonnie & Clyde are deserving of true legendary status. Their story is both unique....and bittersweet.
2007-06-02 21:56:51
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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In US history, one would be the families and especially the women who came across in the covered wagons. think about the personel issues, while they were menstruating ???, going poop, having a baby, taking care of the kids. Entire families would die overnight in the wagons sleeping of the cold weather. What hardships and they had to bring along only what would fit in the wagon,they left behind their entire everything, homes, furniture, way of life, family members, pets and everything. When the railroads came along, wow, what a huge change.
2007-06-02 10:16:00
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answer #9
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answered by I Love Jesus 5
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Micheal Collins, helped defeat and free Ireland after 800 year of English rule. What a man!!
2007-06-03 00:59:30
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answer #10
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answered by Captain Shamrock 3
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