Your favorite historical figure

[Timotei]

Who is your favorite historical figure? Why? What is your favorite story about them? Post your favorite quote from said person.

My favorite historical figure is Dwight D. Eisenhower.

My favorite quote as actually not a quote. It is in fact the letter he wrote for the D-Day invasion. I can quote it from memory.


Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave allies and brothers-in-arms on other fronts, you shall bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over he oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has changed since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their in the air and their capacity to wage overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

Teddy Roosevelt, his presidential policy: Fuck You.
He got shot midway during a speech and kept talking. We need more badasses like that ass presidents.

 

[Joeshie]

Thomas Jefferson. His achievements in promoting the freedoms and liberties of America are what I admire the most.

 

[Souplex]

Stephen Colbert.

 

[Timotei]

I love Teddy Roosevelt. Reading about his presidency is like reading a book written my George Carlin.

 

[szs0061]

this sounds extremely stereotypical coming from someone who lives in Alabama (especially if you dont know the actual history of Alabama in the civil war) but i maintain that Robert E Lee was, if not the best then, one of the best generals in the history of American military

 

[Good morning blues]

Edward R. Murrow was a broadcast journalist for CBS. He broadcast on radio live during the Blitz in London, and later from the newly liberated concentration camps. After the war, he got a television show that was instrumental in bringing down Joseph McCarthy. His classic line that ended every show, as well as the title of the really good movie about him, was "Good night and good luck."

 

[Fingerprint]

Either Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare or another literary great who has defined modern literature.

 

[the protaginist]

Andrew Jackson. Learning about him in History was some of the funniest days in that class.

He Decimated the British at New Orleans AFTER the war was over, Invaded Spanish-controlled Florida against orders, was making a speech, someone made a comment about his wife(Jackson was very touchy 'bout his wife) He jumped off the stage, beat the guy up, jumped back up and finished the speech. He almost broke the Bank(for doing exactly what they're doing now,over-lending and whatnot), Had more duels than any other president(He died with two bullets in him.)

But here's the funniest thing to me. He was out(can't quite remember, i think it was at his wife's funeral) When this guy ran up with two pistols, and pulls the trigger on one. It misfires.He pulls the other trigger. It misfires.

Jackson started BEATING the man with his cane, they had to restrain THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES because he was about to single-handedly kill someone.

 

[axtr]

King Canute the Great. (He was a viking for those not up to date on obscure history)

"Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings. For there is none worthy of the name but God, whom heaven, earth and sea obey"

 

[ElephantGuts]

I had that letter memorized too! From when it was in that intro cutscene in Medal of Honor: Frontline. That was Frontline, right? That was a long time ago. That was a great speech.

And this thread was definetly done not too long ago.

And 9/11 sucked.

 

[axtr]

Andrew Jackson. Learning about him in History was some of the funniest days in that class.

He Decimated the British at New Orleans AFTER the war was over, Invaded Spanish-controlled Florida against orders, was making a speech, someone made a comment about his wife(Jackson was very touchy 'bout his wife) He jumped off the stage, beat the guy up, jumped back up and finished the speech. He almost broke the Bank(for doing exactly what they're doing now,over-lending and whatnot), Had more duels than any other president(He died with two bullets in him.)

But here's the funniest thing to me. He was out(can't quite remember, i think it was at his wife's funeral) When this guy ran up with two pistols, and pulls the trigger on one. It misfires.He pulls the other trigger. It misfires.

Jackson started BEATING the man with his cane, they had to restrain THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES because he was about to single-handedly kill someone.

That last bit about the cane. we need more presidents like that.

 

[manaman]

Teddy Roosevelt, his presidential policy: Fuck You.
He got shot midway during a speech and kept talking. We need more badasses like that ass presidents.

Actually...

He was shot in front of Hotel Gilpatrick before he gave his speech as he was waving to the crowd. There was some contention on the parts of the people there on whether or not the shot even hit him. There was no bleeding and almost no reaction on the presidential candidates part.

They wanted to whisk him off and give him an exam, he declined, ave the speech, An hour after the event he was seen by doctors and during the exam it was realized the manuscript, and glasses case, combined with the inaccurate (aimed at the heart my ass, the loon was lucky to hit him at all) shot by the would be assassin resulted in only a superficial wound that hardly bleed at all. They decided not to remove the bullet, not due to the difficulty but rather the lack of reason, he was in no danger from it at the time and surgery was not as accurate and reliable as it is today.

Not to say this was not a bad ass moment, I mean if I had been shot, regardless of how serious I thought it was I think I would have immediate medical care. It is just not the superhuman bad ass moment people make it out to be.

The man did lots of things in his life to look up to him for, getting lucky when a guy tried to kill him is not one of them. Maybe being the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize should be.

 

[axtr]

this sounds extremely stereotypical coming from someone who lives in Alabama (especially if you dont know the actual history of Alabama in the civil war) but i maintain that Robert E Lee was, if not the best then, one of the best generals in the history of American military

I agree, I'm from goddamn San Francisco and I agree.

 

[Timotei]

That was Frontline, right?

Call of Duty 2. First mission of the American Campaign.

Not too long ago I was going through my book cabinet and found my grangfather's war diary. Three quarters the way through his diary (which is the size of a text book), I found the D-Day letter in almost perfect condition.

 

[rabidmidget]

ned kelly was pretty bad ass, he created a suit of homemade armour and had an epic standoff with the police, by walking out of the inn he was hiding in, firing his guns, and was shot several times in his unprotected legs before he was captured and put on trial. a petition was made for his freedom with over 30,000 signatures.

Truly history's greatest anti hero

 

[ViolentlyHappy91]

This is going to get me into a bit of shit, but, I have reasons.

Adolf Hitler: He took Germany from rubble, to riches, then with some bad ideas and thanks to his generals, took it right back down. As a leader, he was probably on of the best, and in the beginning, he had the right ideas for Germany, but went weird.

Grigori Rasputin: Very intelligent man, who else can say they brought down the entire Romanov Dynasty? He deserves respect for being able to do something that big on his own.

Well, there you go, they're my idols for those reasons, not for the crazy, kill everyone reasons.

 

[Ben Jamin]

I'm going to say Nelson Mandela
The man stayed in prison for years for his cause