Your favorite historical figure

[ElephantGuts]

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.

It was in COD2? I don't remember that, but I'm sure it was in Frontline. I just looked it up to make sure I wasn't crazy.

And it's awesome that your grandfather fought in the war. Did he fight in Normandy or did he just have the letter for the hell of it?

 

[SoonerMatt]

Charles Darwin.

Need I say more?

 

[Agent Larkin]

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.

Hey dont be afraid your allowed your opinion just dont mention the first one in Germany.

Anyway my favourite historical figures would be:

Micheal Collins
This man set up the Irish spy network and invented modern Guerilla warfare. He helped us hugely acheive our independence and was a very charismatic man. He was shot during an ambush in Cork (his home county) while going to a peace meeting. The head of the Isreali government at one stage (cant remember when) said that if the Palestinians had him Isreal would be gone in a week. His name was also used as a code name for a palestinian bombing campaign.

Gen George Patton
The single most kick-ass general in American history in my opinion. He said what he wanted and he didn't care what you thought. One of the best known lines of his was "Boys i am personnaly gonna shoot that paper-hanging son of a ***** Hitler". If that dosn't inspire you to follow him i dont know what will.

Sir Arthur Wellesly (The Duke of Wellington)
This man is refered to quite often as the greatest general in British History. He beat Napolean. 'nuff said. Also he was Irish even if he refused to admit it. He also cared for his troops one of his most famous lines being "The murderers the dregs and bastards of society ... Look at what soldiers we have made them into" it was a cool not caring caring that made him great to follow.

 

[Agent Larkin]

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.

My grandfather also fought on D-Day but he fought on the Sword landings as he was amember of the british army no letter.

 

[Gottsmik]

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.

You made me extremely jealous now.

Gen George Patton
The single most kick-ass general in American history in my opinion. He said what he wanted and he didn't care what you thought. One of the best known lines of his was "Boys i am personnaly gonna shoot that paper-hanging son of a ***** Hitler". If that dosn't inspire you to follow him i dont know what will.

If we are talking about most impressive walking quote and anecdote man, he'd be my American hero. Here are some of my favourites:

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
Love the gritty and sober war realism here.

"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."
His textmark, out-of-the-book thinking.

General George S. Patton showed his contempt for the Germans by pissing into the river in front of his troops and the camera.

Having read the developing battlefield in the Ardennes correctly, he had his armoured corps turn northward before the general meeting had even occurred and even had the audacity that he could attack in just a few days.

---

But my most favourite quotes are from the homebred English sarcast Winston Churchill. The man was a walking tank of armoured quotes and quips.

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."
A joke is a very serious thing.
A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.
History is written by the victors
History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

And so fracking on!

 

[KSarty]

Patton. I recently visited a private collector's museum here in Massachusetts and he had pieces with the most amusing stories of Patton.

My 2 favorites were (in order):
1. A bust of Hitler that Patton not only stole from one of Hitler's HQ's, but stuck it outside his own HQ and trained his dog to piss on it every morning.
2. A letter from Patton to his father during WWI about how disappointed he was in the invention of the machine gun. He said it made the whole ordeal too impersonal.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Constantine the 11th, the Last Emperor of Byzantium and The REAL Last Roman Emperor...

Coming to power over an effectively dead empire whose borders barely extended beyond the gutted city of Constantinople, Constantine XI is responsible for one of the most heroic "last stands" history has EVER seen.

Standing against the mad successor to the man who gave the Ottoman Emperor his name, Constantine held Constantinople against the Unending Ottoman Tide with only a handful of native troops and about 300 adventurers from Genoa.

After several months of fighting, the city finally fell and as Ottoman Forces flooded the streets, Constantine dismissed his household staff, attended his last mass in the Haja Sophia, threw off his Imperial regalia and charged into where the fighting was the thickest. His body was never found.

A little bit Mythic but it's a badass as hell story, I love it.

 

[Kajt]

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of satyagraha?resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence?which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

 

[dontworryaboutit]

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich

 

[Sneaklemming]

Dimitri Shostakovich, the author of the 'Leningrad' symphony and also a great musical composer. Maybe not my favourite, but certainly one of the most interesting I have studied.

 

[r4ndom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Glyndwr

A national hero to us Welsh. Or at least he should be.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

I'm going to say Tesla

Yup.

 

[ArcWinter]

William Tecumseh Sherman. He was a complete dick in warfare, but he had a Native American middle name. Two things goin' for him! I don't really have a quote, but I can tell you this: He had a beard!

 

[Zombie_Fish]

Probably some communist one like Marx or Lenin or whatever, but can't think of a quote right now.

 

[Lord_Panzer]

Caesar.

All anyone has to do is read up on the Siege of Alesia to know that he was the definition of a badass general.

"Vini, vidi, vici."

 

[Crimson King]

Gen. George S. Patton and Gen. Douglas MacArthur are tied for me.
When they'd conquered their respective foes they wanted to keep going, they wanted to take out all their foe's neighbors as well...and in both cases their neighbors really DID oppose us later.

 

[RebelRising]

Genghis Khan. Say what you will about him killing over 2,000,000 people from China to Eastern Europe, but he was a great military tactician, a unifier of the tribes, a herald for the extent of the Silk Road, and an effective non-wartime ruler. He built a quite sustainable empire, and his dunasty went on to rule China for many generations.

On the more obscure side, I would have to say Voltaire earns a great amount of respect from me. He was amazingly progressive and droll for his time, like an intellectual comedy writer. His writing is archaic, but at its core it is factitious and insightful.

 

[Theon Tonarim]

<--- That guy.
A little excerpt from Wikipedia from Caesar's early career, the not so famous stuff:

Spoiler

On the way across the Aegean Sea, Caesar was kidnapped by Cilician (not to be confused with Sicilian) pirates and held prisoner in the Dodecanese islet of Pharmacusa. He maintained an attitude of superiority throughout his captivity. When the pirates thought to demand a ransom of twenty talents of silver, he insisted they ask for fifty. After the ransom was paid, Caesar raised a fleet, pursued and captured the pirates, and imprisoned them in Pergamon. Marcus Junctus, the governor of Asia, refused to execute them as Caesar demanded, preferring to sell them as slaves, but Caesar returned to the coast and had them crucified on his own authority, as he had promised to when in captivity- a promise the pirates had taken as a joke.

Yeah, he was a pretty cool dude, I'd say.

 

[Zetona]

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.

WHAAAAT? No "I will go to Korea"?

Seriously, and on topic, my favorite historical figure is...well, isn't it obvious?

 

[Evilvikingking]

Isambard Kingdom Brunel - to show off my toffee-nosed English Heritage.

What a legendary engineer as to utterly redefine the concept of movement and kinetics, and to revolutionise the mass production of the engine!