Historical Figures Essay Examples and Topics

Tips for writing a historical figures essay.

If you’re working on a paper about a famous historical figure who inspires you, essay writing should start with thorough research. Conduct a study on this person’s biography with a focus on them and their life. Make sure you not only cover their life but also evaluate it, demonstrating your understanding of the historical figure essay format.

And keep in mind these few tricks below! They will help you achieve better structure and give you more ideas for your inspirational people and historical figures essay.

When writing essays on biographical studies, you should be using many types of sources.

This requirement means that your paper should reference books, autobiographical evidence, and maybe even paintings and voice recordings. Having supporting information on the history of the period that you are studying is also essential.

Sources of a personal nature, such as a person’s letters, memoirs, and diaries, are valuable, and you should use them in your essay. However, you must also be aware that they may be biased, portraying the person writing them in a much better light.

Do not be afraid to be critical of what you read and, if other trusted authors support your concerns, voice them in your essay. An excellent example of a biography essay is one that does not mindlessly praise their subject.

Covering biographical studies topics requires using sources that may give your subject a negative evaluation. Having titles in your bibliography that oppose the character you are writing about makes your essay well rounded and comprehensive.

Taking the many personalities of the female suffrage movement in the USA as a sample topic, you could use books on both sides of the votes for women argument.

Find more ideas for writing better essays on Biographical Studies on our website!

533 Best Essay Examples on Historical Figures

Michael jackson: his life and career.

  • Words: 2773

Cleopatra and Her Influence on the Ptolemaic Dynasty

  • Words: 1456

The Rise of Hitler to Power

  • Words: 1680

Leonardo Da Vinci

  • Words: 1355

Personality of Julius Caesar and His Effect on Rome

  • Words: 1455

Exploring Transitional Life Events Through Thematic Analysis

  • Words: 1923

The Comparison of the Speeches by Martin Luther King and Alicia Garza

Napoleon: a child and destroyer of the revolution, role model: nelson mandela.

  • Words: 1652

Isaac Newton, Mathematician and Scientist

  • Words: 1161

Martin Luther King Jr. vs. Nelson Mandela

Mahatma gandhi’s leadership.

  • Words: 2039

Carl Friedrich Gauss: The Greatest Mathematician

  • Words: 1262

Khalid Ibn Al Walid

  • Words: 1551

Historical Interview with William Shakespeare

  • Words: 1431

Compare and Contrast: W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington

A closer look at the life of princess diana.

  • Words: 3000

Alfred Marshall and His Contribution to Economics

  • Words: 1107

Comparing Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum and Princess Haya bint al Hussein

Political impacts of julius caesar.

  • Words: 1619

Napoleon Bonaparte and Its Revolutions

Comparison of gandhi’s and hitler’s leadership, julius caesar an iconic roman.

  • Words: 1507

Queen Elizabeth I as the Greatest Monarch in England

  • Words: 1011

Angelina Jolie, Her Life and Behavior

  • Words: 1513

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Role in the French Revolution

  • Words: 1956

Pablo Escobar Is a Robin Hood or a Villain

  • Words: 3536

“Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela

Fidel castro: the cult of personality.

  • Words: 2796

The Life and Legacy of John Wesley

  • Words: 1769

Sonni Ali: The King of the Songhai Empire

Bill gates: life and contributions.

  • Words: 2253

Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey

Napoleon: leadership style, sheikh zayed bin sultan al nahyan.

  • Words: 4077

Indira Gandhi: Autocratic Leader of India

  • Words: 1428

The Life of Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Bin Baz

  • Words: 2022

Victoria, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain

  • Words: 1413

The Life of Imam al-Bukhari

  • Words: 1451

What Made Pericles an Outstanding Leader in Athens

  • Words: 1511

Julius Caesar’ Desire for Power

  • Words: 2535

Heroes – Nelson Mandela

Steve jobs’ impacts on the world.

  • Words: 2968

Muhammad Ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

Man and monster: the life of adolf hitler.

  • Words: 1371

Fatima bint Muhammad, the Daughter of a Prophet

  • Words: 1258

Joseph Haydn’s Contract With the Esterhazy Court

Sam houston: character traits and personality, hitler’s speech in reaction to the treaty of versailles, mandela’s leadership.

  • Words: 2108

Mohandas Gandhi’s “Hind Swaraj”

Hatshepsut’s leadership and accomplishments, alexander the great and the hellenistic legacy.

  • Words: 1883

Genghis Khan in The Secret History of the Mongols and The History of the World Conquer

  • Words: 1171

Erwin Rommel: Military General in the Nazi Army

  • Words: 4025

Odysseus Strengths and Weaknesses

The life and work of andré rieu.

  • Words: 1220

“Nelson Mandela, Autobiography” Book

  • Words: 1132

Researching of Mark Zuckerberg’s Creativity

  • Words: 1173

The Probable Cause of Marilyn Monroe’s Death

  • Words: 1916

Hitler’s Rise to Power

  • Words: 2385

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Life and Legacy

  • Words: 1350

Sojourner Truth

  • Words: 1377

The Life of Idi Amin and His Dictatorship

  • Words: 2329

Martin Luther King and His Impact on Society

  • Words: 1438

Muhammad Ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi’s Science Contributions

  • Words: 1603

Bertrand Russell, His Life and Work

World war 2 leaders comparison: benito mussolini and adolf hitler.

  • Words: 2756

Analysis of Christopher Columbus Voyage

  • Words: 1275

Why Julius Caesar Was Assassinated

  • Words: 2156

Friederich Engels: Industrial Manchester, 1844

  • Words: 1131

Self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc and Its Impact

Ali ibn abi talib: biography, theodore roosevelt and woodrow wilson comparison, hitler: a study in tyranny by alan bullock.

  • Words: 1399

Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill’s Leadership Styles

  • Words: 2829

Hiram Fong: Political and Life History

  • Words: 1121

Roman History: Caesar Augustus

Albert einstein: the life of a genius.

  • Words: 2763

George Appo’s Autobiography

  • Words: 1403

Clara Campoamor Rodríguez: Biography and Key Achivements

Malcolm x and frederick douglass’ comparison.

  • Words: 1488

Otto von Bismarck: Life and Significance

  • Words: 2748

Diogenes and Alexander

Stephen hawking: a prominent scientist, john brown and his beliefs about slavery.

  • Words: 1311

Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini’s Conservative Ideology

  • Words: 2713

Life of a Japanese Warlord: Oda Nobunaga

  • Words: 3525

Thomas More and King Henry VIII, their Relationship

  • Words: 2376

Abbas ibn Firnas, a Berber Andalusian Polymath

Last night i dreamed of peace.

  • Words: 1054

Patty Smith Hill and Her Contribution to Education

Cleopatra’s life, from her ascension to the throne to solemn death, adolf hitler’s biography and achievements, history of umar bin abdelaziz life.

  • Words: 2012

Elon Mask: Biography and Main Virtues

Jackson’s and jefferson’s presidency: comparative analysis, edward snowden: a hero or a traitor.

  • Words: 1737

Jeff Bezos: The Richest Man in Modern History

Amelia earhart: contributing to the aviation development, mohammed ali clay and african americans.

  • Words: 2415

The Elusive Jack the Ripper: A Hero or Villain?

  • Words: 2259

Nelson Mandela: Analysis of Personality

Dedan kimathi: criminal or heroic pioneer, henry ford, american industrialist and inventor.

  • Words: 1179

George Washington Carver, His Life and Research

Napoleon bonaparte: his successes and failures, the movie “into the storm”.

  • Words: 2016

Mao Zedong: A Blessing or Curse for the Chinese People

  • Words: 2300

Genghis Khan and the Modern World

  • Words: 2581

Who was Pedro Calosa?

The life of john pierpont morgan.

  • Words: 1098

Yusuf ibn-Ayyub Salah-al-Din

  • Words: 1410

Catherine the Great: The Last Reigning Empress of Russia

  • Words: 1085

The Life and Music of Frederic Chopin

  • Words: 1069

Abigail Adams in American Revolution

  • Words: 1238

Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American Essayist

Nelson mandela: biography and influences, steve jobs: the life and times of the great entrepreneur.

  • Words: 1653

Johannes Kepler: Historical Figures

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Home Essay Samples History

Essay Samples on Historical Figures

Controversies surrounding the figure of the egyptian queen cleopatra.

Throughout history, Cleopatra is a historical figure of much debate and interest. In modern times, Cleopatra has the potential to be a mainstream role model when considering the debates on her ethnicity, race, and her intelligence. As an infamous woman, it is likely easier to...

  • Famous Person
  • Historical Figures

The Life of Moses: a Journey of Faith, Leadership and Redemption

Moses is a towering figure in the history of the Abrahamic religions, revered as a prophet and leader by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. Born in Egypt in the 14th century BCE, Moses is known for his role in leading the Israelites out of slavery...

Exploring Invaluable Role of Jesus Christ for the World

Jesus Christ is one of the most well known historical figures that could be considered heroic and relatively important to the development of Western Civilization. The existence of Jesus and the eternal legacy he left after he sacrificed himself was one that dramatically influenced the...

  • Influence of Christianity
  • Jesus Christ

Is Jesus a Myth: One of the World’s Most Controversial Figures

It would be hard to find a person in history that has been met with so much controversy than Jesus of Nazareth. According to those who wrote the New Testament, Jesus is God, who was born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, was...

  • World History

The Life and Achievemnts of Muhammad - a Founder of Islam

I chose Muhammad because he did a lot from the day he was born till the day he died. One of the many things that Muhammad did was when Muhammad founded Islam and made it the way it is now. Muhammad was born in Mecca,...

  • Influential Person

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Best topics on Historical Figures

1. Controversies Surrounding the Figure of the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra

2. The Life of Moses: a Journey of Faith, Leadership and Redemption

3. Exploring Invaluable Role of Jesus Christ for the World

4. Is Jesus a Myth: One of the World’s Most Controversial Figures

5. The Life and Achievemnts of Muhammad – a Founder of Islam

  • Civil Rights Movement
  • American History
  • African Diaspora
  • Abigail Adams
  • Terracotta Warriors
  • Anne Hutchinson
  • Christopher Columbus
  • Alexander The Great
  • Adolf Hitler

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History Collection - Covering History's Untold Stories

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40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

The people who influenced history the most, the “movers and shakers” from ancient times until today, have one thing in common: they challenged the status quo. By and large, they were rebels who were willing to take on established norms and traditions. Keep reading to learn about some of the people who helped make the world the way it is today, for better or worse.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

40. Confucius

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and teacher who lived in about the fifth century BCE. His teachings formed the basis for much of Chinese thought, particularly regarding family relationships (the role of wives to husbands and children to parents), morality in government, and the promotion of justice. The system of thought that he established became known as Confucianism and is still widely practiced in modern China. In the West, his theory has become translated into a form known as Neo-Confucianism.

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40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

39. Bill Gates

The man who founded Microsoft and helped make personal computing accessible to the masses quickly became the wealthiest man in the world (although that title no longer belongs to him). In addition to pioneering his own computer software, he established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help alleviate poverty in developing countries. Today the Gates Foundation is the largest private foundation in the United States and has been a part of significant healthcare initiatives, including the eradication of polio.

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40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

38. Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was the prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II and, along with Josef Stalin , Franklin Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower, helped bring about the defeat of the German Third Reich. He conducted much of the war from his underground bunker and ordered blackouts of major cities to prevent the Nazi bombing raids from being able to target civilians. He also helped engineer the D-Day invasion of Normandy, which spelled the beginning of the end for the Nazis.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

37. Christopher Columbus

The iconic explorer did more than travel to the New World. He helped bring about the almost complete destruction of the indigenous peoples of the Americas by bringing to them European diseases to which they were not immune. He helped open up the slave trade between Europe, the Americas, and Africa by bringing indigenous people back to Europe as slaves and also pioneered colonialism by paving the way for wealthy Europeans to build colonies and plantations in the West Indies. All of his influences were not necessarily helpful for the people around him.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

We know very little about the historical figure of Homer except that he was probably a blind poet and wrote two of the most famous epics in history, The Iliad and The Odyssey. The Iliad dramatizes the Trojan War , something that we may have never even heard of otherwise. The Odyssey tells of the return of Odysseus, one of the heroes of the Trojan War, back to his homeland. The poems also say of the role that the gods and goddesses supposedly played in these events.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

35. Henry Ford

Henry Ford didn’t just begin the Ford Automotive Company, which is still in operation today. He revolutionized production by creating an assembly line . Before Ford, products were produced by factory workers building one product from beginning to end. Ford sped this process up by having workers focus on one part of the final product. His method is still used today to mass-produce goods all over the world.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

34. Michelangelo

Michelangelo was one of the most famous artists of the Renaissance. He was a painter, a sculptor, pretty much anything that involved aesthetics. His most famous works are the statue of David and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at Vatican City. Some consider him to have been the most celebrated artist of all time, while others compare him to his rival, Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential “Renaissance Man.”

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

33. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela ‘s life and achievements were dramatized in the book and film Long Walk to Freedom . He was a lifelong activist for black rights in South Africa, though the violent activities that he endorsed as a young man led to him being imprisoned for nearly three decades. When he emerged from prison, he was a changed man who espoused nonviolence as a means of ensuring equal rights for blacks. He became the first black president of South Africa.

Read More: Powerful Facts About Worldwide Peacemaker Nelson Mandela .

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

32. Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, penned the words of the Declaration of Independence . He also helped write the Constitution and became the third president of the new country. He is also remembered for having an affair with one of his slaves, producing illegitimate mixed-race children, and for pioneering the idea of “ separation of church and state ” in US politics.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

31. Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. Many of the pieces that he wrote are still recognized today and even used in contemporary musical compositions. However, what is perhaps most remarkable about his career is that the infamous musician was completely deaf . There is a story that following one concert that he performed on the piano, a friend had to turn him around to see the audience’s thunderous because he could not hear it.

You May Interested: This Man Challenged Beethoven to a Musical Duel .

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

30. Marie Curie

Marie Curie was one of the most noteworthy female scientists in history. She discovered radiation, which became crucial in X-ray technology, cancer treatments, and many other aspects of healthcare today. Curie won the Nobel Prize for her work, an accolade that was rarely awarded to a woman. Sadly, she was not aware of the dangers of radiation and died from exposure to it .

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

29. Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin , whose image is seen on the one-hundred-dollar bill, was one of the Founding Fathers and an all-around genius. He wrote an almanac for farmers that accurately predicted future weather patterns (Poor Richard’s Almanac) and helped discover electricity. Benjamin Franklin also invented bifocals and the Franklin Stove . Additionally, he was a crucial figure in the writing and signing of founding documents, such as the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

28. Genghis Khan

The Great Khan founded the Mongol Empire which, after his death, became the largest contiguous empire in all of history. The Mongol Invasions that he initiated terrorized people from Asia to Europe, even prompting the construction of underground cities so that people could hide until the danger had passed. As he requested after he died his body was buried in an unmarked grave . For Mongolians, a true mark of honor is proof that one is a descendant of the Great Khan.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

27. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The mystery around the death of the famous Austrian composer is almost as famous as the man himself. Mozart was a prodigious musician who composed the melody to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” when he was only three years old. By 17, he was a court musician in Salzburg. His incredible talent and arrogance drew the ire of established musicians, particularly Salieri, who, in the movie Amadeus, acknowledged his role in the death of the young musician.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

26. Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison is most famous for his invention of the light bulb , but he did much more than that. Believed by many to be America’s greatest inventor, he also invented the phonograph, which enabled people to play records in their homes, and the motion picture camera. His discoveries helped pave the way for mass communication, particularly regarding the advancement of telegraph technology, the generation, and transmission of electricity, and sound recording.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

25. Johannes Gutenberg

The world as we know it would not exist without Johannes Gutenberg. Prior to his invention of the Gutenberg Press , books had to be painstakingly written by hand. They were prohibitively expensive, so only a few wealthy people owned them. The Gutenberg Press used moveable type to enable mass production of print materials. The first mass-produced book was the Bible , and things like newspapers followed it. His invention helped spark the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

24. Napoleon Bonaparte

The “Little Emperor” is not so little in the history books. He rose to power during the French Revolution , which quickly spiraled into chaos and threatened to destroy the nation. Napoleon reunited it as a military dictator and went on to conquer much of Western Europe in the Napoleonic Wars. His defeat at Waterloo brought about an end to his empire; a European military empire would not be seen again until Adolf Hitler rose to power .

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

23. Martin Luther

Martin Luther was the founder of the Protestant Reformation . He was a monk but became disillusioned with corruption inside the Roman Catholic Church, particularly regarding the selling of indulgences (people could pay money to the church in exchange for forgiveness of their sins, no questions asked). He set out to reform the Roman Catholic Church from within, but instead, he sparked a movement that created a major schism in Christendom, Protestantism.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

22. Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a bright man who is today remembered for, along with Friedrich Engels, writing the Communist Manifesto . He was exiled from his native Germany due to his extreme political views and lived much of the rest of his life in England, mostly impoverished and supported by the generosity of Engels. Then and now, people either love him or hate him. What they can’t do is ignore him.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

21. Julius Caesar

The first Roman emperor, Julius Caesar transformed Rome from a republic into an empire . He expanded its military might while promoting virtue among Roman citizens, believing that the realm would be upheld through Roman families. He usurped for himself many of the powers and privileges that had previously belonged to the Senate, and along the way, he earned himself a good many enemies. Even his friends turned on him, and they stabbed him to death on the Ides of March.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

20. Gautama Buddha

The founder of the Buddhist religion was born a prince into a royal family, and his parents took great care to ensure that he was not exposed to any suffering. One day, he left the palace compound and saw extreme poverty and suffering, things that completely changed his life. He went on to sit under a lotus tree until he became “enlightened” as to how to avoid suffering and anguish. His teachings formed the basis of Buddhism , which has millions of followers today.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

19. Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla was a futurist and inventor. Born in Serbia, he emigrated from Serbia to the United States to work for Thomas Edison . He soon separated from his role model and found his own backing to pursue his discoveries and inventions in electrical current and providing electricity to the masses. Telsa even came up with a way to offer limitless power from the ground completely free, but his vision never became a reality because it would not be financially profitable.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

The Hebrew slave-turned-prince, whose story is dramatized in the animated movie The Prince of Egypt , is believed to have written the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. After leading the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt through the desert for 40 years, he codified the system of laws that would become the foundation of the Jewish religion. The historical evidence regarding his life is disputed, but his significance cannot be understated.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

17. Adolf Hitler

You don’t have to be a good guy to prove to be influential. Case in point: Adolf Hitler , the leader of the Nazi party who was responsible for World War II and the deaths of tens of millions of people, including six million Jews in the Holocaust . However, few historians would debate the fact that without Hitler, the world today would look vastly different. One reason is that German war inventions changed the face of military technology.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

16. George Washington

The Father of the United States of America, George Washington was the man who led the Patriots to victory against the British during the American Revolution. He signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and as president, set many of the precedents that presidents today still follow. You may remember the iconic story of him cutting down the cherry tree and confessing to the crime because he cannot tell a lie; however, that story was false.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

15. Abraham Lincoln

Born into dire poverty in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln would rise to become one of the most important figures in American, and world, history. He was elected to the Senate before becoming President of the United States, just before the Civil War broke out. In his Emancipation Proclamation, he declared that slavery was no longer a valid institution and all slaves were free. He was assassinated shortly before the war ended, but his legacy is impossible to understate.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

14. Mahatma Gandhi

Born into India while it was under the British colonial government, Mahatma Gandhi became a leader in the independence movement. He advocated nonviolent resistance as a means to not only end British rule but also to create a new Indian nation. After India gained independence in 1947, he worked tirelessly to promote peace with the newly-partitioned state of Pakistan. He was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist who disapproved of his work with Pakistani Muslims. Today, he is known as the Father of India.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

13. Socrates

Not much is known about Socrates through his writings. Instead, what we know about him is from his most famous pupil, Aristotle. Socrates’ thought helped lay the foundation of Western theory and philosophy, particularly in regards to ethics. “Socratic thought” refers to an approach in which people create their own knowledge by exploring the world on their own rather than reciting dogma that other people have told them.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

12. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Civil Rights leader was also a Baptist pastor in Alabama. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized nonviolent resistance movements , including the Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white passenger. He went on to help organize the March on Washington, where he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech . A white supremacist assassinated him, but his efforts were ultimately successful.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

11. William Shakespeare

His most famous play was Romeo and Juliet , but there is more to Shakespeare than the star-crossed lovers. He is responsible for many of the sayings and idioms that we still use today, such as, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” He also invented many of the words that are still used today, as well as many literary devices, such as comic relief, knock-knock jokes, and five-act plays that have an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

Plato, the most famous disciple of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, founded the Academy, the first institute of higher learning in Athens. We have him to thank for the concept of higher education and the humanities as a viable field of study. He was so central to the development of Western thought that some have even suggested that all subsequent European philosophy is merely a footnote on Plato.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

9. Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was the author of The Origin of the Species , which details the findings and discoveries that he made while exploring the Galapagos Islands. He observed adaptations that organisms on the archipelago had made that could not be found in other places. He used these observations to develop his theory of evolution, which is now central to modern biology. The Origin of the Species became one of the bestselling books of all time.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

8. Alexander the Great

The son of Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great led the Greek army on a lightning-fast expansion that brought it to the edge of modern India. He died at the age of 33 and had not established a formal system of governing his vast empire, so it fell apart shortly after his death. Still, he is remembered for his military prowess and is still considered a hero to many Greeks.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

7. Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei constructed his telescope using a couple of lenses and a tube. When he lifted his telescope to the heavens, he discovered that Jupiter was its own system, complete with its own set of moons. His discoveries drew the ire of church officials, who believed that the earth was the center of the cosmos and put him under house arrest . Today, he is considered one of the fathers of modern astronomy.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

6. Muhammad

Muhammad was orphaned at an early age and raised by his uncle, Abu Talib, before marrying a wealthy woman named Khadija. He was known as a devout man and would frequently go on spiritual retreats up in the surrounding mountains. On one of these retreats, he is believed to have received the first of a series of revelations from the angel Gabriel; together, the revelations would form the Qur’an, the scripture of the Muslim religion.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

5. Aristotle

Little is known about the life of Aristotle, but he studied in Plato’s Academy from the time he was about 17 years old and absorbed the teachings of Plato and his predecessor, Socrates. Aristotle made many scientific discoveries that paved the way for modern scientific thought . His works included topics as disparate as ethics, physics, astronomy, zoology, logic, poetry, music, biology, rhetoric, and even government. Together, his works form the foundation of Western philosophy and scientific thought.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

4. Leonardo da Vinci

The ultimate “Renaissance Man,” Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, scientist, writer, botanist, musician, polymath, inventor, you name it, he could do it. Even if you can’t name it, he could probably do it. He painted masterpieces such as The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper . His enigmatic notebooks, which are sometimes written backward, contain drawings of things like prototype helicopters and anatomical depictions of humans. He is widely regarded to be one of the most widely-talented people who ever lived.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

3. Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton is probably most famous for his discovery of gravity, which explains both why things fall to earth and why planets stay in orbit around the sun. When he needed to make measurements that involved a form of math that didn’t exist, he invented a new branch of math: calculus . He wrote down many of his discoveries in a book called Principia, which is still considered a masterpiece. His findings were used by Einstein over two centuries later.

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

2. Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who emigrated to the United States and remained there after Hitler rose to power in his native Germany. He discovered general relativity , then supplemented it with special relativity to fill in some of the gaps. Einstein also studied things like the photoelectric effect, which helped form the basis for quantum physics. During World War II, he was recruited for the Manhattan Project so that he could help develop the technology for the atomic bomb .

40 of the Most Influential People of All Time

1. Jesus Christ

Jesus was not the founder of the religion that bears his name; he was actually a Jewish carpenter he traveled as an itinerant preacher and worked miracles. After his death and resurrection, his followers initially remained part of the Jewish religion until they were completely expelled from the synagogues. Today, two billion Christians worldwide profess to be followers of Jesus , and he is also a prominent figure in Islam. In fact, many Muslims also claim to be followers of Jesus.

Where Did We Find This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:

“Confucius.” Wikipedia.

“The Most Influential People of All Time.” Ranker.

“Nikola Tesla.” Wikipedia.

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Historical Figures Essay Examples

The complexity of john proctor: a character analysis.

John Proctor is one of the central characters in Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible." Set in the backdrop of the Salem witch trials of 1692, the play explores the themes of morality, truth, and the consequences of blind adherence to authority. Proctor's character embodies the...

Queen Elizabeth I: the Greatest Monarch of England

Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, ascended to the throne in 1558 and reigned over England until her death in 1603. Her reign is often regarded as one of the most significant periods in English history, marked by political...

Comparing Queen Elizabeth I and Louis Xiv

Queen Elizabeth I of England and Louis XIV of France were two influential monarchs who lived during the early modern period. Despite ruling different countries and having distinct cultural backgrounds, they both left a significant impact on their respective nations. This essay will compare and...

Queen Elizabeth I: Politics and Government

Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, reigned over England from 1558 to 1603. Her reign was a significant period in English history, known as the Elizabethan Era, characterized by cultural, economic, and political achievements. This essay will explore the...

Alexander Hamilton: the Founding Father Who Shaped America

Alexander Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a key figure in the early years of the American government. His essay will be about Alexander Hamilton: his life, actions and biography at all. Alexander Hamilton was born in the West...

Rosa Parks Comparison to Jesus

Rosa Parks essay comparison to the image of Jesus. As an individual who stood up for black people’s rights and fought for racial segregation, Rosa Parks had a lot in common with Jesus, and his actions in the bible. She is most famously known for...

A Way of Responding to Conflict: Examples in History

Conflict is an unavoidable part of life, but through our actions, speech, and thoughts, we are able to manage the situation in the best way possible. One example of someone who dealt with conflict well is Anne Frank, the author of the book A Diary...

Thomas Jefferson Vs Abigail Adams: the Struggle for the Voice of Women in America

Even though any law was made for equality, society always had put Women down when it's not even their fault, the false statement of thinking women can’t do anything or is weak, do not have the ability to Vote. It did not matter if this...

The History of the Formation of an Equal America

In the United States of America, before it was even named as the USA, the norms that were made caused discrimination, and an equal prejudice is brought to each group or anyone that lives against it. The desire for power and high position in the...

The Events at Amritsar as the Catalysator the Movement for Freedom of India

Gandhi advocated protest without the use of violent acts because he believed in the religious concept of ‘Ahimsa’, meaning ‘doing no harm’. Gandhi believed that protesting peacefully would assist the Indians in their fight for freedom and independence from the British simply by showing colonizers...

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