History.

[Ghostkai]

Hitler - one of the greatest men of the 20th century.

(no, I don't "like" Hitler, just like studying 30's Germany, and how he brought Germany from the depths of depression to the foremost military power in Europe - you can be "great" and "evil" at the same time you know)

 

[Motti]

John Batman.
I think the name says it all.

 

[eatenbyagrue]

Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, for proving that even if you nominally fight for the bad guys, are outnumbered 10-1 and short on supplies, with no room for retreat, you can STILL be regarded as a war-hero and all-around badass.

You could write an entire list on what makes him so badass, and someone did:http://www.badassoftheweek.com/rommel.html

 

[Barciad]

It was strange to see the name 'Jack Churchill' pop up as the first suggestion. Only last week a friend of mine was telling me about his exploits. In terms of hair-brained daring-do, fighting WWII with bows and arrows takes some beating.

A short list:-
Best General - Hannibal Barca. Fought against insurmountable odds for years, yet came closer than any man, before or since of killing off the Roman Republic from without.
Best Soldier-Statesman - Epaminodas of Thebes. Sadly forgotten in the modern age, in Ancient times his name was ubiqutous. Cicero called him the 'First Citizen of Greece'. He lead a relatively minor Greek city to domination in the 3rd Century, crushing Spartan power in the process.
Best Reformer - Clement Attlee. British Labour politician who oversaw the creation of the welfare state in the aftermath of WWII. It was his policies that gave universal healthcare in Britain. A mark of civility that certian countries, despite their great wealth, have yet to reach.

 

[J474]

David Belle, Sebastian Foucan and the rest of the Yamakasi. Parkour has changed my life, and I owe it to these men.

 

[Exocet]

Nikola Tesla.
I am following a similar education he is,and I really hope I can be even but a fraction as talented as him.
Without being batshit crazy.

Seriously,I don't want to end up alone talking to a fucking pidgeon.


Or I could go with Genghis Khan.
You can't be wrong if you look up to the man who created the biggest Empire ever using a bunch of nomads as a starting point.

 

[Novajam]

My favourite personality would have to be United States President John Calvin Coolidge. He came in after Harding died and sacked his corrupt buddies, won the presidency outright in 1924 and for the most left everyone to their own devices until he retired in 1928 (essentially because he got bored of being president) allowing the USA to become the richest nation on earth in the process. As president, he worked on average four hours a day, slept through a lot of his own cabinet meetings, said barely anything, and when he did say something, damn, was it ever witty.

Dorothy Parker: Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you.
Calvin Coolidge: You lose.

 

[Julianking93]

Zeus

He ate his fucking children!!! You don't get much more fucked up then that.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

William of Wallace or General Patton. Stil not sre, they both kick ass. (Also any Russian from WW2, because everyody likes the Russians)

 

[EeveeElectro]

I have to go with my girlfriend.
Sure, there have been people in the past who have done some wonderful things, but none of them can hug me the same. :-D

On a less serious note, whoever created this site would probably be in second place for me.

Aww, he's so cyoot =3 *pinches cheeks*

OT, none particularly stand out for me. Martin Luther King, Roosevelt, Ghandi (sp?) I all like because of how they influenced the world, but I can't think of anyone prominent.

 

[Spirultima]

Nobunaga Oda.

He was a perfect leader, charismatic, fair (Join or die) and he was feared by foes (He was known as The Demon King).

Also Simo Hayha, come on, 700 hundred with a M/28 Mosin Nagant and about 200 with a Suomi KP/-31, Sniper god he is.

 

[Lysserd]

The great philosophers: Plato, Aristotle, Kierkergarde (spelling is probably wrong) just to name a few. They really helped try to tackly some big issues that we all think about.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

Stephen Fry, I choose you!

I mean really, who doesn't like Stephen Fry? Except for the jealous people.

In the absence of Stephen, I'd choose Winston Churchill (I know, Winston's dead and Stephen isn't so I don't know why Stephen would be absent). Hater of the working classes he may be, but he really is the man you want in a fight.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

. (Also any Russian from WW2, because everyody likes the Russians)

Would you like some names?

Marshal Zhukov, General Meretskov, Marshal Rokossovskiy, Marshal Shaposhnikov, General (or maybe he became a Marshal) Vasilevskiy, Marshal Koniev, Marshal Timoshenko, even Marshal Kulik (but he was useless).

Hmm, I didn't know I knew that many. Enjoy.

 

[Hyper-space]

Saladin fo sho'

Richard Lionheart? fuck that honky.

favorite quote; "don't make me go all mameluke up in this *****"

 

[Nomad]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you'll find that Joan D'Arc's story is fantastic is because she was an utter fantasy. You may note that no-one had heard of her until WWII broke out and the French had been run out of their own country. Joan D'Arc was cooked up by French national propaganda masters as a great story to give the French Resistance a little hope during the beleagered times of Vichy France.

... Except that Joan d'Arc has been known as a historical figure at least since 1867, when a pharmacist claimed to have in his possession her actual remains. But yeah, he was a time traveller, so I see your point.

And speaking of people who travelled back in time to cement the urban legend of Joan d'Arc, you can also count Shakespeare, Voltaire, Mark Twain and a multitude of other famous people among those. Examples; Henry VI [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VI,_Part_1] (Shakespeare) and the aptly named Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Recollections_of_Joan_of_Arc] (Mark Twain). Time travellers, all!
... Except for Voltaire, because he was also made up by the french.

As for the topic at hand... I'm not entirely sure. Tage Erlander [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tage_Erlander], perhaps. Mostly because I'm a big proponent of the welfare-state.

 

[Nieroshai]

Wow, so I can get on probation by putting a name without an explanation? Fine.
Miyamoto Musashi, the ultimate swordsman. If he has any object in his hands at all, start running. BREAKFAST SAUSAGE OF DOOOOOM!!!

 

[Grand_Arcana]

Godwin's law, definetly Hitler. I'd be intereested in finding out why he was so fixated on destroying the jews. Was the church very vocal about their anti-semetism or was it something else? Credit must be given for his ability to bring Germany out of their recession.

Supposedly, he was inspired by the theater director Richard Wagner. Hitler was really depressed when he saw on of Wagner's plays which possessed heavy anti-semitic themes. Not to say Hitler didn't already feel that way; Wagner really drove it deeper.