Who's Your Favorite Historical Figure?

[Kernel Sohcahtoa]

I have always been interested in black history.  In particular, I've found Paul Robeson to be very interesting. Here are some clips for anyone interested in learning about him.  The first two videos are short clips and the last video is an interview in which Paul Robeson explains what he is all about: he is an advocate for helping people learn to tolerate and accept their differences and to peacefully co-exist with one other.  

Robeson

Robeson lonely road

Robeson Interview

[abaris]

I have always been interested in black history.  In particular, I've found Paul Robeson to be very interesting. Here are some clips for anyone interested in learning about him.

I don't need to learn about him. But I sure love to hear about him. One of the victims of the Mc Carthy madness. Great voice, great person.

[Alex K]

Maybe Charles Darwin, he could have been a bastard and those things didn't make it into the history books but I think he might be a safe bet.

He's definitely on my short list of historical people I'd like to meet and have a beer with. As far as we can tell, he was relatively progressive for his time (e.g. being unambiguously against slavery) and a caring husband and father.

[Pat Mustard]

Without the slightest doubt Winston Churchill.

Why? He was wrong about everything but Hitler(with whom he shared similar concepts of race), he was a shameless opportunist, switching effortlessly between Liberals and Tories depending on who was more likely to give him a ministry, and he was a mass murderer of civilians.

[abaris]

Why? He was wrong about everything but Hitler, he was a shameless opportunist, switching effortlessly between Liberals and Tories depending on who was more likely to give him a ministry, and he was a mass murderer of civilians.

There's the public persona gaining real merit in fighting Hitler to the last. Which not many british politicians of the time were ready to do.

But there's also the lesser known historical figure. The opportunist, colonialist, who never shied away from ordering atrocities in the Middle East.

And there's a rather tragic private person. Suffering under life long depression and other ailments.

All in all an important historical figure. Admirable in some that he did. Despicable in other departments. Not one of the worst, but also not one of the best. Which, I would say, goes for most political historical figures.

[Pat Mustard]

Why? He was wrong about everything but Hitler, he was a shameless opportunist, switching effortlessly between Liberals and Tories depending on who was more likely to give him a ministry, and he was a mass murderer of civilians.

There's the public persona gaining real merit in fighting Hitler to the last. Which not many british politicians of the time were ready to do.

But there's also the lesser known historical figure. The opportunist, colonialist, who never shied away from ordering atrocities in the Middle East.

And there's a rather tragic private person. Suffering under life long depression and other ailments.

All in all an important historical figure. Admirable in some that he did. Despicable in other departments. Not one of the worst, but also not one of the best. Which, I would say, goes for most political historical figures.

What's little discussed is that Churchill's antipathy to Hitler probably stemmed more from his snobbishness rather than Hitler's politics. If Goring were Fuhrer I'd doubt Churchill would be so quick to denounce Nazism.

[account_inactive]

Without the slightest doubt Winston Churchill.

Why? He was wrong about everything but Hitler(with whom he shared similar concepts of race), he was a shameless opportunist, switching effortlessly between Liberals and Tories depending on who was more likely to give him a ministry, and he was a mass murderer of civilians.

How am I not surprised...

[account_inactive]

Margaret Thatcher.

[abaris]

What's little discussed is that Churchill's antipathy to Hitler probably stemmed more from his snobbishness rather than Hitler's politics. If Goring were Fuhrer I'd doubt Churchill would be so quick to denounce Nazism.

There was a meeting scheduled between Hitler and Churchill. I think in 1932, before Hitler came to power, if I'm not mistaken. Hitler never showed. It's only a historical footnote and probably base for the urban legend that Churchill fought him based on hurt pride.

There's also the Churchill quote, very losely paraphrased, that if England ever fell on similar hard times as Germany, he would hope for some Hitler taking the lead. That, of course, was long before Hitler showed his true colours.

But these are all footnotes. Churchill certainly wasn't a democrat in today's sense of the word. He was for parliamentarism but he had little sympathy for the great unwashed.

[Sal]

Richard Feynman in recent history. Tesla a bit farther back. And maybe Socrates in ancient times.