Most interesting historical figure

[mackie]

Hey, just wondered what types of historical figures would come up if someone asked this. Since I'm a history freak I can't just choose one...

[Prophet Tenebrae]

Hmm... so many... Stalin from the Modern period, Henry V from the medieval and Emperor Tiberius from the ancient.

[Sleigh]

So many...1066, 1945, 0. I could go on but I think I'll stop.

[Mr Comedy]

Has to be Caligula, who made his horse a senator.

[hr]The tories: bravely resisting change since 1841

[Cain]

Cosimo de Medici!

i asked a mate in my florence course for advice last year and she said: "what would Cosimo do?"

"He would build a huge church, and give his enemies the money to say that they built it. and then he would have a huge church and his enemies under control."

the man was a genius and a master of manipulating people.

it's quite bad when you learn more about managing people from your Renaissance Florence course than you do from your human resource management course.

[hr]
I will diminish, and go into fourth year, and remain Cain

[Agnus Dei]

me.

[Kibet]

I got totally confused by that.

[Agnus Dei]

lol

[Manic23]

Hitler- and before I get people calling me a fascist bastard, its not that I admire him, just I think Nazi Germany is a fascinating area of history to study.

[loretta]

History is fantastic. Richard III-for so much mystery and intrigue. For a period of history , I think the cold war is fascinating.

[quarterstaff]

Jesus
Alexander the Great
Cortez
Admiral Nelson
Lenin

[laphroaig]

If by most interesting you mean to meet, talk to or question:

Mary
Mohammed
Marco Polo
Marx

Between them you could find out rather a lot.

[pelopidas]

Winston Churchill

A cavalry officer
An escapee from a POW camp.
A journalist.
An MP, A maverick MP, (who crossed the floor)
A reactionary Chancellor of the Exchequer (who said that machine guns should be used on strikers)
Primeminister twice
A historian (good enough to win the Nobel prize for literature in 1955?)
A builder (he physically built a house, and was consequently a member of the builders union)
A wit
Cigar afficiando
Amateur painter

[Campbell]

i'd go for emperor alexios I komnenos

i love me1002

or maybe not

[Eliot Wilson]

[s]Mr Comedy wrote on 20:28, 18th Mar 2004:
Has to be Caligula, who made his horse a senator.


Come now, the electorate of the University of St Andrews has done that on more than one occasion.

[hr]
Bill and Ted beat the Grim Reaper at Twister

Bill: "You played very well, Death, especially with your totally heavy Death robes."

Death: "Don't patronise me."

[Guest]

[s]Manic23 wrote on 21:48, 18th Mar 2004:
Hitler- and before I get people calling me a fascist bastard, its not that I admire him, just I think Nazi Germany is a fascinating area of history to study.




You're only a facist bastard if you agree with his[hitlers] ideas and you were conceived before your parents married, if at all.

[probush]

George W Bush, a lesson to us all that just because a country is a superpower doesn't mean that its people are super clever.

[unimpressed]

[s]pelopidas wrote on 23:23, 18th Mar 2004:
Winston Churchill

A cavalry officer
An escapee from a POW camp.
A journalist.
An MP, A maverick MP, (who crossed the floor)
A reactionary Chancellor of the Exchequer (who said that machine guns should be used on strikers)
Primeminister twice
A historian (good enough to win the Nobel prize for literature in 1955?)
A builder (he physically built a house, and was consequently a member of the builders union)
A wit
Cigar afficiando
Amateur painter




a person who ordered the bombing of the people of iraq as they were seen as subhuman in his eyes: "I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes". For more about 'the greatest briton of all time', http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle ... ctionID=15

Although he was right in predicting that people would value him kindly, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."

[Prophet Tenebrae]

Kommenos and Richard III - both great medieval figures, Richard III of course being the victim of cruel propaganda from the bard.

[pelopidas]

[s]Unregisted User unimpressed wrote on 02:01, 19th Mar 2004:

a person who ordered the bombing of the people of iraq as they were seen as subhuman in his eyes: "I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes". For more about 'the greatest briton of all time', http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?itemID=3930§ionID=15

Although he was right in predicting that people would value him kindly, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."


I dont believe we were asked who was the most morally virtuous historical figure, merely the most interesting one. You could perhaps also infer from the statement that he was in favour of using machine guns on strikers that I dont view him in a completely biased perspective.