Famous historical figures. Historical characters and legendary figures - how they really looked

Restoration of the face from the skull, or a method of anthropological reconstruction of the appearance on a craniological basis, of famous (and not only) historical characters - favourite hobby anthropologists. Not so long ago, scientists presented to the public their vision of the appearance of Tutankhamun. It is difficult to judge the extent to which the reconstruction results correspond to the true appearance of the heroes of the past. Sometimes even the objects of reconstruction themselves turn out to be not the ones for whom they were taken. But it's always interesting to look at them. Let's get acquainted with already sunk into oblivion, but looking like living historical figures.

In 2003, Egyptologist Joanne Fletcher identified the KV35YL mummy as Nefertiti, the "main wife" of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten of the 18th dynasty. At the same time, its appearance was reconstructed. However, in 2010, as a result of a DNA study, it turned out that the remains did not belong to Nefertiti, but to another “soul mate” of Akhenaten, and part-time to his sister. True, perhaps she was the wife of another pharaoh - Smenkhkare. However, Egyptologists agree that the remains belong to the mother of Tutankhamun.

2. Using a virtual autopsy, British scientists have recreated the appearance of Tutankhamun, the pharaoh of the XVIII dynasty of the New Kingdom, who ruled Egypt in 1332-1323 BC.

Scientists believe that Tutankhamun suffered from genetic diseases, as well as malaria, which may have caused his early death: the pharaoh died at the age of 19. Half of the men living in Western Europe are descendants of the Egyptian pharaohs and, in particular, relatives of Tutankhamun, scientists say. The common ancestor of the ruler of Ancient Egypt and European men with the haplogroup R1b1a2 lived in the Caucasus about 9.5 thousand years ago. Carriers of the "Pharaonic" haplogroup began migrating to Europe about 7 thousand years ago.

3. Apostle Paul - the largest figure in world history, one of the authors of the New Testament and one of the founders of Christianity.

Saint Paul lived from AD 5-67. Paul created numerous Christian communities in Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula. In 2009, for the first time in history, Scientific research sarcophagus under the altar of the Roman temple of San Paolo Fuori le Mura. Fragments of bones were found in the sarcophagus, which were subjected to carbon-14 analysis by experts who did not know about their origin. According to the results, they belong to a person who lived between the 1st and 2nd centuries. This confirms the undisputed tradition that we are talking about the remains of the Apostle Paul.

4. King Richard III, reconstructed from the remains found in the fall of 2012 under a car park in Leicester.

Richard III - the last representative of the male Plantagenet line on the English throne, ruled from 1483 to 1485. It has recently been established that Richard III died on the battlefield, having dismounted and lost his helmet. Before his death, the English king received 11 wounds, with nine blows to the head. The absence of wounds on the bones of the hands suggests that at the time of his death, the monarch was still in armor. Richard III was killed at the Battle of the Bosphorus while fighting the pretender to the throne, Henry Tudor (future King Henry VII).

5. The remains of the creator of the medieval heliocentric picture of the world, Nicolaus Copernicus, were discovered in the Cathedral of Frombork (modern Poland) in 2005. In Warsaw, a computer facial reconstruction was performed at the Central Laboratory of Forensic Science.

In 2010, the names were assigned by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and in 2011 the designations of the elements were officially approved: darmstadtium, roentgenium and copernicium (or Copernicus), with numbers 110, 111 and 112, respectively. Initially, for the 112th element, Copernicium, named after Nicolaus Copernicus, the symbol Cp was proposed, then it was changed to Cn.

6. In 2008, Scottish anthropologist Caroline Wilkinson reconstructed the appearance of the great 18th-century German composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Bach's remains were exhumed in 1894, and in 1908 sculptors tried to recreate his appearance for the first time, guided, however, by the well-known portraits of the composer. Critics of the early 20th century were dissatisfied with this project: they argued that the bust could just as well depict, for example, Handel.

7. Facial reconstruction of William Shakespeare made from the death mask of the English poet and playwright.

The hypothesis of endless monkeys, which will sooner or later print the work of art by William Shakespeare, was tested by the American programmer Jesse Anderson. The monkey program managed to print Shakespeare's poem A Lover's Complaint in a month. True, an attempt to test the hypothesis on living monkeys failed. In 2003, a keyboard connected to a computer was placed in a cage with six macaques at Peyton Zoo (UK). The monkeys typed five pages of incoherent text and broke the keyboard a month later.

8. In 2007, Italian scientists from University of Bologna reconstructed the appearance of the great Italian poet of the turn of the XIII and XIV centuries Dante Alighieri.

Dante Alighieri, according to some scientists, could suffer from narcolepsy - a disease of the nervous system, accompanied by bouts of drowsiness and sudden falling asleep. These conclusions are based on the fact that in Dante's Divine Comedy the symptoms of narcolepsy are reproduced with great accuracy, as well as the cataplexy that often accompanies it, that is, the sudden loss of muscle tone.

9. Perhaps this is what Henry IV looked like - the king of France, the leader of the Huguenots, who was killed by a Catholic fanatic in 1610.

In 2010, forensic experts led by Philippe Charlier determined that the preserved mummified "head of Henry IV" was genuine. On its basis, in February 2013, the same scientists presented a reconstruction of the appearance of the king. However, in October 2013, another group of geneticists questioned the authenticity of the remains of the Bourbon monarch.

10. In 2009, the appearance of Arsinoe IV, the younger sister and victim of Queen Cleopatra, was reconstructed. Arsinoe's face is recreated according to the measurements taken from her skull, which was lost during the Second World War.

Arsinoe died in 41 BC. According to the ancient Roman historian Josephus Flavius, she was executed at Ephesus on the orders of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, who saw in stepsister a threat to his power.

11. The appearance of St. Nicholas was reconstructed according to the data of an Italian professor of anatomy, obtained in the 1950s during the restoration in the Basilica of St. Nicholas in the city of Bari.

In Christianity, Nicholas of Myra is revered as a miracle worker and is considered the patron saint of sailors, merchants and children.

Our century has come quite recently, and therefore we cannot yet say who exactly the outstanding personalities of Russia of the 21st century are. However, an analysis of the past will give us the opportunity to understand what truly great things we can expect from Slavic blood. After all, as you know, who knows the past, knows the future.

Sergey Yesenin

A contemporary of Mayakovsky and his complete opposite as an author. A subtle and sincere lyricist, who at the same time managed to remain an eternal bully and a teenager. He raised the themes of the struggle of the individual with the environment, love for nature and, of course, for a woman.

Vladimir Vysotsky

Bard, author of many songs and poems. Greatest Poet His hoarse voice seemed to let his voice down under the legacy left to him by all the outstanding personalities of Russia in the 20th century. He raised the topics of the internal and external struggle of a person, his place in society and in the world in general. Subtle satirist.

Bulat Okudzhava

Also a poet who independently performed his poems in the form of songs. Touching and honest, he wrote poems filled with some kind of cosmic thoughtfulness. He often used metaphors, creating deep images with the help of them. His songs had a parable form, which was once (good-naturedly) parodied by Vysotsky.

Cinematographers

Lev Kuleshov

Thanks to him, outstanding personalities of Russia began to appear in the cinema. The discoverer of the "Kuleshov effect" - "two frames that are independent in meaning, glued together, create a new meaning." In fact, the founder of the montage story.

The first person in Russia to use color in cinema was the red flag in the same “Battleship Potemkin”.

Mikhail Romm

Director of documentaries ("Ordinary Fascism") and feature films ("Nine Days of One Year") films. One of the most important cinema theorists of the mid-20th century. VGIK lecturer and author of many scientific papers.

Andrei Tarkovsky

A man who manages to shoot a true art-house in the USSR. His tapes are filled with personal meanings, full of metaphors and subtle hints. He shot "Solaris" and "Stalker", most often making his works such parables-allegories.

Painters

Andrey Rublev

Modern outstanding personalities of Russia among artists would not have been possible without the person who laid the foundation for Russian painting.

Each of his canvases is like a photograph taken during the climax of the event that he was trying to capture. His paintings are infinitely alive and may not always reveal their true meaning at first sight. The main thing in Repin is the emotions of the characters and the details.

Kazimir Malevich

A great modernist, known as the author of the now-familiar Black Square. He was busy looking for new forms and ways of expressing color in painting. His paintings are full of abstractions and geometric shapes, attempts to invent something new in their art. I tried to find "absolute peace" in the paintings.

Composers

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

One of the first Russian professional composers, Tchaikovsky made a true craft out of music (in the good sense of the word). He was a man who simply could not stop writing music.

The extremely diverse topics raised in all possible genres make Pyotr Ilyich a composer capable of reaching the heart of every person. His most famous works are the ballets The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

He believed that the main goal of music is the unity of the listener with the true nature of the world, which can only be expressed in a similar, melodic form.

Dmitry Shostakovich

Composer with difficult fate, who initially worked in the style of modernism and actively experimented in all genres. However, "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" did not please Stalin personally, and then severe repression followed.

To save himself and his family, Shostakovich had to create in a purely "state" way. However, his music really proves that even a simple listener hears the subtext put in by the composer. Many subtle moods and meanings that he invested in symphonies No. 5 and No. 7 were then understood by everyone.

Scientists

Mikhail Lomonosov

The first Russian encyclopedist, "a man of all sciences." Brought Russian research to the level of Europe. He made many discoveries in almost every modern science for him.

As an academician and one of the most active personalities of his time, he was an icon for the Russian Enlightenment.

Dmitry Mendeleev

A Russian chemist who has already become legendary, who managed to create periodic system chemical elements, which greatly spurred world science forward.

The existence of such a table clearly proves the harmony of nature and its clear system.

One of the greatest discoveries in which, in fact, the entire modern natural Science, belongs to him. He also worked in other sciences, where he also made various discoveries.

Ivan Pavlov

The first Nobel laureate from Russia. Pavlov made the most important discovery in biology and physiology - it was he who found out the presence of reflexes in the body of living beings. And it was this Russian scientist who divided them into conditional and unconditional.

Pavlov devoted his whole life to this discovery, and even dying, he continued to dictate his feelings to his students - so that science could better know the state of death.

Athletes

Ivan Poddubny

Legendary Russian wrestler, "hero of the XX century." Haven't lost once in ten years. Wrestling champion five times.

Garry Kasparov

A chess player with many awards, "Chess Oscars" and the title of world champion. He became famous for the extremely successful combination of various tactics and strategies and the ability to emerge from a seemingly completely failed game as a winner.

"Kasparov's openings" - this is how unexpected and non-standard moves at the beginning of the game are now called.

Lev Yashin

Soviet goalkeeper, famous for his absolute "impenetrability". Considered the best goalkeeper of the 20th century. Repeatedly recognized as the best goalkeeper of the USSR. Ballon d'Or winner.

Conclusion

As we can see, outstanding personalities in the history of Russia have become extremely significant for all mankind. Chekhov can be safely called the best playwright in the world, and Mendeleev - the greatest chemist. All these people are important not only for Russia, but for every area in which they became famous.

It remains to be hoped that the outstanding personalities of Russia in the 21st century, just like their predecessors, will mean something for the whole world, and not just for their homeland.

What does it mean to be famous? For example, Chesley Sullenberger was ranked number two on the Top 100 Most Influential People of 2009 just for a successful emergency landing of the plane, as a result of which no one was injured. But time passes, and all these rating names are erased and dissolved behind millions of the same rating names. But there are ten people who are known in any part the globe. They knew, know and will know about them. And we invite you to remember these ten people in the Top Greatest People of All Time. The names in the list are in ascending order, from tenth to the most important, first place.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Sir Isaac Newton

If you make a rating of people on demand in Google, then Albert Einstein would be in tenth place, in one month the query “Albert Einstein” gains up to 6.1 million search queries. But many more books have been written about Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein is unlikely to ever beat him in this sense. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Attraction, coined the term "gravity", invented the reflecting telescope, defeated the Roman Catholic Church with the justification of geocentrism and determined that any, even the smallest object in the Universe, moves. In his spare time, Newton explored the principles of optics. lived long life and died at the age of 84.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Leonardo da Vinci

In the case of one of the greatest men in history, Leonardo da Vinci, a Google search can be quite inaccurate. And if you enter only the name "Leonardo", then Google will return a bunch of links to the ninja turtles and people who drowned on the Titanic. But if you type full name Leonardo da Vinci, it will immediately appear that he is known to the whole world. A person who could do anything. And all the books about him and his inventions are probably the biggest and most interesting summaries in the world. He was an engineer, inventor, anatomist, architect, mathematician, geologist, musician, cartographer, botanist, writer and sculptor. He invented the rifle, even if it didn't immediately look like what we used to call a rifle, but Leonardo's rifle shot at a distance of 1000 yards. He invented the parachute, 300 years before it was officially invented. He invented the hang glider, 400 years before his official invention. Hang glider Leonardo was based on the work of bird wings. He could imagine what a helicopter should be like, but he could not understand what kind of force it would have to be to lift such a structure into the air. He invented the tank, which was a structure driven by a crankshaft. The structure could move and shoot at the same time and in different directions. He invented scissors by bolting two knives together.

Along with incredible inventions for his time, Leonardo was a great artist and sculptor. The work "Mona Lisa" is a masterpiece of world portraiture, around which controversy does not stop to this day.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is a person whom we repeat every day, quoting and not even suspecting that it was he who came up with this phrase or expression. It's amazing, remember how often you say something like this: "not all that glitters is gold", "a pitiful sight", "food of the gods", "all's well that ends well". It's all Shakespeare. And of course, the maestro's most famous phrase: "to be or not to be." Egil Aarvik, Representative of the Committee Nobel Prize, once said that Shakespeare would be the only person who could qualify for the Nobel Prize more than once.

Speaking about the work of Shakespeare, we can say almost nothing unambiguously about him. About his life, about him as a person. We only know that he was a simple actor, and then suddenly became the greatest playwright. This gives rise to an incredible amount of rumors spreading about whether Shakespeare was Shakespeare.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Adolf Gitler

Everyone knows who Adolf Hitler is. We all know that this man is the root cause of World War II. He provoked the war for two main reasons, so to speak. One: to become the most powerful person on Earth and in history, and rule the world. The second reason: to generate as much pain as possible against all those whom he personally considered responsible for putting Germany in an insulting and humiliating position after the First World War.

Hitler was a great speaker, and he knew what his compatriots wanted to hear and knew that they felt the same feelings towards the offenders of Germany as he did. Consequently, it was not difficult to raise people to "great" accomplishments and conquests.

The Second World War was the most difficult, bloodiest war in the history of mankind. It led to the greatest human losses. The approximate number of victims of the Second World War is 71 million people. And Hitler is to blame for this. And during the war, he knew about it. He knew that all these victims were his victims, and he was glad of that. He was proud of it. Today, Hitler is in the hearts and minds of people on the same list as the "Devil" and "Satan".

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Apostle Paul of Tarsus

In sixth place in our ranking of the Greatest people of all time. Top 10 is the Apostle Paul of Tarsus. The Apostle Paul is considered the most important person on the issue of the spread of Christianity, its ideology and principles. The Apostle Paul is considered the most important Christian apologist.

The Apostle Paul is the most famous and revered apostle of all the disciples of Christ.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)

It may surprise you, but most people who Google the name of the Buddha are not Buddhists. In the Western Hemisphere and throughout Europe, Buddhism is not as widespread as in the Eastern part - Nepal and India. It is known that the Buddha was a mortal man who achieved nirvana and spiritual awakening at the age of 35. To achieve nirvana and spiritual knowledge, the Buddha sat in meditation for 49 days under a tree until he reached the knowledge of what needs to be done in order to end human suffering. Having learned the truth, the Buddha carried his teachings to people so that all those who do could be freed from the torment in their lives. This path is called the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of: Right View, Right Intention, Right Concentration, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, and Right Mindfulness. According to the teachings of the Buddha, if one adheres to these simple rules you can really become happy man, independent of anything.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Moses

Moses is revered by all major modern religions world, and Judaism, and Christianity, and Islam. He is the greatest prophet Supreme Testament, the liberator of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. Moses was a legislator, a judge, a person through whom the Lord passed on his main 10 commandments.

According to legend, Moses was found as a baby, in a basket, floating on the Nile and was raised as the son of a pharaoh. There is no, by and large, accurate information about Moses, except that he grew up in a noble Egyptian family, and one day he saw an Egyptian mocking his Jewish slave, killed the Egyptian and fled into the desert. Here, in the desert, God first appeared to Moses as a burning bush. This turning point inspired Moses, and he, inspired, went to the pharaoh, asking him to let all the Jews go, otherwise, the Lord would send such torment to the Egyptians that they would not stand it. And so it happened. Pharaoh resisted, and the Lord showed his strength and sent unimaginable torments to the Egyptian people. Ultimately, Pharaoh was forced to release Moses along with all the Jews.

Moses led the Jews through the deserts for 40 years, so that they would all be reborn from slavery, here the Lord conveyed his basic laws through Moses.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Abraham

Bronze on our ranking of The Greatest People of All Time. The top 10 is occupied by the Biblical Abraham. And this is no coincidence. Abraham is considered one of the first prophets of the Middle East, the first to preach the one God. According to legend, God makes a covenant with Abraham, because he was very pious, unshakable in his faith in God. This covenant is marked by circumcision. Before that, the Lord tested Abraham's faith, demanding that he kill his son Isaac and Abraham had already raised a knife over his son when the Lord said that this was a test.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Mahomet

For non-Muslims, Mahomet founded Islam. For Muslims, Islam already existed, but Mohammed revived it in the hearts of people. Muslims believe that the Lord conveyed through Mohammed the basic philosophical principles and revelations, which he wrote down in the main religious book of Muslims - the Koran.

Mohammed was born in Saudi Arabia and had 13 wives. Not a single exact image of Mohammed has been preserved, because he is considered the last prophet sent by Allah in order to teach people the main path of peace and righteousness, and that he is too holy for all of us to see his face. During his life, Mohammed managed to unite the entire Middle East under the name of one God - Allah.

Greatest people of all time. Top 10. Jesus of Nazareth

It would be incomprehensible if some other person took the first place in the Top 10 Greatest People of All Time. Naturally, this is Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ.

We all know the story of the life of Jesus, who was born to a virgin, died at the age of 33, that he was crucified on the cross, that he died and resurrected three days later, ascended to heaven, to the abode of His Father, and now sits on right hand from God.

Jesus Christ is accepted by all religions of the world, both believers and atheists know about him and his life. Perhaps, some of the most primitive peoples and tribes living in the Amazon River Delta or in the impenetrable forests of Brazil do not know the name of Christ. The main book that tells about the life and deeds of Christ is the New Testament Bible, we note that 25 million copies of the Bible are sold annually around the world.

So, even if you are not a believer, you will have to accept the fact that the most famous person all over the world is Jesus of Nazareth.

Many great reforming rulers, generals, scientists, and even philosophers can claim to be the greatest men in human history. But it is difficult to consider the achievements of a person in isolation from the era. The eras of the Renaissance and Enlightenment, as well as the scientific revolution of the 20th century, changed the face of the world, but these breakthroughs in human history were associated with the activities of many outstanding people.

The achievements of some talented people have not outlived them. Many have reached heights in conjunction with others, and their merits are not shared. Let's try to identify several personalities in world history, whose actions and ideas influenced the further course of the historical process. The consequences of their actions are being felt even now.

At the origins of European science: Aristotle

Aristotle is a rare example of a student who surpassed his brilliant mentor. He did not hesitate to criticize the views of the teacher, and his saying dedicated to this went down in history. Plato was an ingenious philosopher, but his views concerned questions of philosophy, ethics and political science. Aristotle went further.

A native of the insignificant city of Stagira came to Athens, where he created his own philosophical school. Many philosophers and even famous politicians were its students, but none of them made a contribution to history comparable to the founder.

Aristotle created the doctrine of the first principles of existence. He introduced the principle of development into world philosophy, created a system philosophical categories and levels of existence. Stagirite was the founder of logic as a science. He studied ethics and developed the doctrine of the virtues. In the field of cosmology, he advocated the idea of ​​a spherical earth.

In The State, Aristotle studied the strengths and weak sides different forms of government and put forward his own, realistic, idea of ​​the state. His work on the history of Athens state structure- an example of a historical essay.

In addition, a scientist from Athens wrote works on all areas of knowledge then available - biology, zoology, poetics (where he studied theatrical art). The works of Aristotle were studied by the philosophers of the Middle Ages in Europe and the Muslim world. It can rightfully be placed at the origins of modern science.

Alexander the Great: Creation of a New World

In world history there have been many commanders whose victories numbered in the tens. Alexander defeated the army of the largest empire in several battles, took the most fortified cities of that time and reached the Punjab. The empire he created collapsed within a few decades after his death, but new states appeared on its fragments.

The king of Macedonia was obsessed with the idea of ​​uniting the West and the East under his rule. The idea was partially successful. After his campaigns, the Mediterranean became another world. The Greeks had previously served the eastern rulers. But now the heart of Greek civilization began to beat in Asia and Egypt. The Alexandria Museum became the greatest center of intellectual life - philosophers, scientists and poets of the entire Mediterranean lived here. The most important scientific works were collected in the library. translated into Greek here Old Testament. Pergamum did not lag behind him, whose library also became a scientific center.

Hellenism caused a revival and changes in the literature, sculpture and architecture of the Hellenes. New traditions and ideas associated with oriental influences emerged. Later, the Roman Republic will join this world, whose culture will be formed under the influence of the Hellenistic one.

Alexander was not directly involved in most of the processes. But it was his conquests that created the world in which the emergence of the Alexandria Museum and the Pergamon Library was possible.

Prophet Muhammad: the creation of a new religion

Mohammed and the religion of Islam can be treated differently. For many centuries, Arab tribes roamed the expanses of Arabia. They were vassals or allies of powerful empires. The nomads staged bloody wars among themselves, composed original and complex poems, and worshiped many gods.

In the first half of the 7th century, Muhammad began to preach in Mecca. He managed to overcome the enmity of his fellow tribesmen and gather a group of supporters. With them, he went to Medina, but after a series of battles he defeated the enemies and achieved the unification of the two cities under his authority.

Mohammed's enemies adopted his religious teachings and became his companions. The doctrine of Islam assumed expansion - after the death of the Prophet, the Arab armies left Arabia. The Arabs, led by the teachings of Mohammed, destroyed the Sasanian Empire and conquered vast territories of the Byzantine Empire. They did not stop there and subjugated the territories of Spain, Central Asia and the islands of the Mediterranean.

Now Islam is practiced by about 1.5 billion inhabitants of the planet. It is the state religion of 28 countries, and communities of followers of the Prophet are located in 122 states. This is evidence of the influence of the Prophet Muhammad on history, whose actions changed the lives of not only his fellow tribesmen, but also many distant peoples.

Charlemagne: at the origins of modern Europe

After the slow decline of the Roman Empire in the west, Europe plunged into the darkness of the Early Middle Ages. The population has declined: some regions have become depopulated. Several epidemics and devastating wars swept across Europe.

Even under these conditions, the heritage of Roman civilization and science was not forgotten. But the epochs of the 5th - 8th centuries stand out as difficult and dark times. In 768, Charles, who went down in history under the name of the Great, became the king of the Frankish kingdom. He was a decisive sovereign who fought a lot with his neighbors and pushed the boundaries of the Frankish kingdom, and in 800 was crowned as emperor.

His empire included part of eastern Spain, Italy to Rome, the territory of modern Germany. Dependent on him were the Avars and numerous Slavic peoples: Moravians, Czechs, encouraged, Serbs.

The emperor became famous not only for victorious wars. He attracted educated people to his court and built schools. The Academy was organized, the members of which were the smartest people of his era - the monk Alcuin, the historian Paul the Deacon, the biographer Einhard. Alcuin's student was the author of one of the medieval encyclopedias, Raban Maurus.

In schools organized in the empire of Charlemagne, the children of nobles and clergy studied. They studied the seven liberal arts, the canon of which had already been established. "Carolingian minuscule", a way of writing letters that became the basis of the modern majority alphabet Western countries. At the court of Charles, admiration for Roman literature reigned, and copies of works were made in Latin.

After the death of Charlemagne, the collapse of his empire followed. The division of the empire into three states, formalized in 843, laid the foundations of modern Italy, Germany and France.

The Ideology That Changed History: Karl Marx

One of the greatest (according to many) thinkers of the 19th century is Karl Marx. He was born in Prussia but spent most of his life in Great Britain and died in London. The ideas and works developed by him determined the course of the history of the next century.

The formation of Marx as a thinker was influenced by the philosophy of Hegel. Marx criticized his predecessor, but, relying on his dialectical method, formed his own concept of dialectical materialism. He introduced his own materialistic understanding of the course of the historical process, which continues to be used in modern science.

Finally, Marx created the work "Capital", in which he examined the contradictions of contemporary capitalist society. He showed the essence of conflicts between capitalists and workers, as well as within these classes. He substantiated the inevitability of the replacement of capitalism by socialism.

Marx's ideas influenced all left-wing thinkers of the 20th century. The practical application of these ideas was made by the builders of the USSR and other socialist states. In the 21st century, socialist states continue to exist, and the supporters of this ideology believe in the final victory of socialism. At the basis of this historical process were the ideas of Karl Marx.

The greatest men in the history of mankind are individuals who, alone or with the help of fellow performers, changed the course of history or directed it in the right direction. This influence was manifested in different ways - the development of science, the creation of a new religion or ideology, the change in the political map of the world, which created new conditions for the development of civilization. The result of the activity of these personalities could be fully manifested years and decades after their death.

Who do you consider the most worthy example and inspiration for yourself personally? Martin Luther King Jr., Yuri Gagarin, or maybe your grandfather? Our world has been forming for several millennia, and a lot of historical figures took part in this difficult process, who made their invaluable contribution to science, culture and many other spheres of life, both in their countries and all of humanity. It is very difficult and almost impossible to choose those whose influence was the most significant. However, the authors of this list still decided to try and collect in one publication the most inspiring personalities in the history of world civilizations. Some of them are known to everyone, others are not known to everyone, but they all have one thing in common - these people have changed our world for the better. From the Dalai Lama to Charles Darwin, here are 25 of the most outstanding personalities in history!

25. Charles Darwin

The famous British traveler, naturalist, geologist and biologist, Charles Darwin is best known for his theory, which changed the idea of ​​human nature and the development of the world in all its diversity. Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection suggests that all kinds of living organisms, including humans, descended from common ancestors, and this concept shocked the entire scientific community at one time. Darwin published The Theory of Evolution, with some examples and evidence, in his revolutionary On the Origin of Species in 1859, and our world and the way we know it has changed a lot since then.

24. Tim Berners-Lee


Photo: Paul Clarke

Tim Berners-Lee is a British engineer, inventor and computer scientist, best known as the creator of world wide web(World Wide Web). He is sometimes called the "Father of the Internet" and it was Berners-Lee who developed the first hypertext web browser, web server, and web editor. The technologies of this outstanding scientist have spread worldwide and have forever changed the way information is generated and processed.

23. Nicholas Winton


Photo: cs:User:Li-sung

Nicholas Winton was a British philanthropist, and since the late 80s, he became known primarily for taking 669 Jewish children from the territory of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia right on the eve of World War II. Winton moved all these children to British orphanages, and some of them even managed to be placed in families, which definitely saved them all from certain death in concentration camps or during the bombing. The philanthropist organized as many as 8 trains from Prague and also took the children out of Vienna, but with the help of other modes of transport. The Englishman never sought fame, and for 49 years he kept his heroic deed a secret. In 1988, Winton's wife found a notebook with records from 1939 and the addresses of the families who received the young rescuers. Since then, recognition, orders and awards have fallen upon him. Nicholas Winton died at the age of 106 in 2015.

22. Buddha Shakyamuni (Gautama Buddha)


Photo: Max Pixel

Also known as Siddhartha Gautama (from birth), Tathagata (who has come), or Bhagavan (blissful), Buddha Shakyamuni (the awakened sage of the Shakya family) was the spiritual leader and founder of Buddhism, one of the world's three leading religions. The Buddha was born in the 6th century BC into a royal family and lived in absolute isolation and luxury. When the prince matured, he left his family and all his possessions to plunge into self-discovery and seek to save humanity from suffering. After several years of meditation and contemplation, Gautama attained enlightenment and became a Buddha. Through his teachings, Shakyamuni Buddha influenced the lives of millions of people around the world.

21. Rosa Parks

Photo: wikimedia commons

Also known as the “First Lady of Civil Rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement,” Rosa Parks was a true pioneer and founder of the black rights movement in Alabama in the 1950s, where there was still a strong racial segregation of citizens in those days. In 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a courageous African-American woman and passionate civil rights activist, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, disobeying the driver's orders. Her rebellious act provoked other blacks into what was later nicknamed the legendary "Montgomery Bus Boycott." This boycott lasted 381 days and became one of the key events in the history of the black civil rights movement in the United States.

20. Henry Dunant

Photo: ICRC

A successful Swiss businessman and active public figure, Henri Dunant became the first person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. During a business trip in 1859, Dunant faced the terrible aftermath of the Battle of Solferino (Solferino, Italy), where the troops of Napoleon, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire clashed under the leadership of Franz Joseph I, and the battlefield was left to die almost 9 thousand wounded. In 1863, in response to the horrors of war and the brutality of the fight, the entrepreneur founded the well-known International Committee of the Red Cross. Adopted in 1864, the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded was also based on the ideas expressed by Henri Dunant.

19. Simon Bolivar

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Also known as the Liberator (El Libertador), Simón Bolivar was an outstanding Venezuelan military and political leader who played a key role in the liberation of as many as 6 countries of the South and South from Spanish rule. Central America– Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama. Bolivar was born into a wealthy aristocratic family, but he devoted most of his life to military campaigns and the struggle for independence. Spanish colonies in America. The country of Bolivia, by the way, was named after this hero and liberator.

18. Albert Einstein

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Albert Einstein is one of the most respected and influential scientists of all time. This outstanding theoretical physicist, Nobel laureate and humanist public figure gave the world over 300 scientific papers on physics and about 150 books and articles on history, philosophy and other humanitarian areas. His whole life was full of interesting research, revolutionary ideas and theories, which later became fundamental for modern science. Most of all, Einstein was glorified by the Theory of Relativity, and thanks to this work he became one of the the greatest personalities in the history of mankind. Even after almost a century, this Theory continues to influence the thinking of the modern scientific community, working on the creation of the Theory of Everything (or the Unified Field Theory).

17. Leonardo da Vinci


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It is difficult to describe and list all the directions in which Leonardo da Vinci succeeded, a man who changed the whole world with his mere existence. Throughout his life, this Italian Renaissance genius managed to achieve unprecedented heights in painting, and in architecture, and in music, and in mathematics, and in anatomy, and in engineering, and in many other areas. Da Vinci is recognized as one of the most versatile and talented people who ever lived on our planet, and he is the author of such revolutionary inventions as the parachute, helicopter, tank and scissors.

16. Christopher Columbus

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The famous Italian explorer, traveler and colonizer, Christopher Columbus was not the first European to sail to America (after all, the Vikings had been here before him). However, his voyages gave start whole era the most outstanding discoveries, conquests and colonizations, which lasted several more centuries after his death. Columbus' travels New World greatly influenced the development of the geography of those times, because at the beginning of the 15th century people still believed that the Earth was flat, and that there were no more lands beyond the Atlantic.

15 Martin Luther King Jr.


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This is one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century. Martin Luther King Jr. is best known for his peaceful movement against discrimination, racial segregation and for the civil rights of black Americans, for which he even received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Martin Luther King was a Baptist preacher and a brilliant speaker who inspired millions around the world to fight for democratic freedoms and their rights. He played a key role in advancing civil rights through peaceful protests based on Christian faith and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.

14. Bill Gates

Photo: DFID – UK Department for International Development

The founder of the legendary multinational company Microsoft, Bill Gates was considered the richest man in the world for almost 20 years. More recently, however, Gates has become known primarily as a generous philanthropist, rather than for his success in business and the information technology market. At one time, Bill Gates stimulated the development of the personal computer market, making computers accessible to the most ordinary users which is exactly what he was looking for. Now he is passionate about the idea of ​​​​providing Internet access to the whole world. Gates also works on projects dedicated to combating global warming and combating gender discrimination.

William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest writers and playwrights in the English language, and he has had a profound influence on a whole galaxy of writers, as well as on millions of readers around the world. In addition, Shakespeare introduced some 2,000 new words, most of which are still in use today. English language. With his work, the national poet of England has inspired a great many composers, artists and filmmakers from around the world.

12. Sigmund Freud

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The Austrian neurologist and founder of the science of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud is famous precisely for his unique studies of the mysterious world of the human subconscious. With them, he forever changed the way we evaluate ourselves and the people around us. Freud's work influenced the psychology, sociology, medicine, art, and anthropology of the 20th century, and his therapeutic methods and theories in the field of psychoanalysis are still being studied and applied in practice.

11. Oskar Schindler

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Oskar Schindler was a German entrepreneur, Nazi Party member, spy, womanizer and drinker. All this does not sound very attractive and certainly does not sound like a characterization of a real hero. However, contrary to all of the above, Schindler was on this list absolutely deservedly, because during the Holocaust and World War II, this man saved about 1,200 Jews, rescuing them from death camps to work in his plants and factories. The heroic story of Oskar Schindler has been described in many books and films, but the most famous adaptation was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg, Schindler's List).

10. Mother Teresa

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A Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa devoted almost her entire life to serving the poor, the sick, the disabled, and orphans. She founded the charitable movement and the women's monastic congregation "Sisters of the Missionaries of Love" (Congregatio Sororum Missionarium Caritatis), which exists in almost all countries of the world (in 133 countries as of 2012). In 1979, Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize, and 19 years after her death (in 2016) she was canonized by Pope Francis himself.

9 Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and one of the most influential personalities in American history. Coming from a poor farming family, Lincoln fought for the reunification of the country during the Civil War between North and South, strengthened the federal government, modernized the American economy, but he earned a reputation as an outstanding historical figure primarily for his contribution to the development of a democratic society and the fight against slavery and oppression. the black population of the USA. The legacy of Abraham Lincoln still has a defining influence on the American people.

8 Stephen Hawking


Photo: Lwp Kommunikacio / flickr

Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous and respected scientists in the world, and he has made an invaluable contribution to the development of science (especially cosmology and theoretical physics). The work of this British researcher and ardent popularizer of science is also impressive because Hawking made almost all of his discoveries despite a rare and slowly progressing degenerative disease. The first signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis appeared in his student years, and now the great scientist is completely paralyzed. However, a severe illness and paralysis did not prevent Hawking from marrying twice, becoming the father of two sons, flying in zero gravity, writing many books, becoming one of the founders of quantum cosmology and the winner of a whole collection of prestigious awards, medals and orders.

7. Unknown rebel


Photo: HiMY SYeD / flickr

This conditional name refers to an unknown man who independently held back a column of tanks for half an hour during the protests on Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen, China) in 1989. In those days, hundreds of protesters, most of whom were ordinary students, were killed in clashes with the military. The identity and fate of the unknown rebel remain unknown, but this photograph has become an international symbol of courage and peaceful resistance.

6. Muhammad

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Muhammad was born in 570 AD in the city of Mecca (Mecca, modern Saudi Arabia). He is considered a Muslim prophet and the founder of the Islamic religion. Being not only a preacher, but also a politician, Muhammad united all Arab peoples of those times into a single Muslim empire that conquered most of the Arabian Peninsula. The author of the Qur'an started out with a few followers, but eventually his teachings and practices formed the basis of the Islamic religion, which has become the second most popular religion in the world today, with about 1.8 billion believers.

5. Dalai Lama XIV (The 14th Dalai Lama)


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Dalai Lama XIV or at birth Lhamo Dhondup (Lhamo Thondup) is a 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner and a well-known preacher of the Buddhist philosophy of peace, professing respect for all life on Earth, and calling for the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. The former spiritual and political leader of Tibet in exile, the 14th Dalai Lama always tried to find a compromise and sought reconciliation with the Chinese authorities who invaded Tibet with territorial claims. In addition, Lhamo Dhondrup zealously supports the movement for women's rights, interfaith dialogues and advocates for the solution of global environmental issues.

4. Princess Diana (Princess Diana)


Photo: Auguel

Also known as "Lady Di" and "The People's Princess," Princess Diana has won millions of hearts around the world with her philanthropic work, hard work, and sincerity. She devoted most of her short life to helping those in need from third world countries. The Queen of Human Hearts, as she was also called, founded the movement to stop the production and use of anti-personnel mines, and was actively involved in the activities of several dozen humanitarian campaigns and non-profit organizations, including the Red Cross, Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital (London's Great Ormond Street Hospital) and AIDS research. Lady Dee died at the age of 36 from injuries sustained in a car accident.

3. Nelson Mandela


Photo: Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science

Nelson Mandela was a South African politician, philanthropist, revolutionary, reformer, passionate human rights activist during apartheid (racial segregation policy) and President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He had a profound influence on the history of South Africa and the world. For his beliefs, Mandela spent almost 27 years in prison, but he did not lose faith in the liberation of his people from the oppression of the authorities, and after leaving prison he achieved democratic elections, as a result of which he became the first black president of South Africa. His tireless work for the peaceful overthrow of the apartheid regime and for the establishment of democracy has inspired millions of people around the world. In 1993, Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize.

2. Jeanne d'Arc (Jeanne d "Arc)

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Also known as Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc is the greatest heroine in the history of France and one of the most famous women in world history. Born into a poor farming family in 1412, she believed she had been chosen by God to lead France to victory in the Hundred Years' War with England. The girl died before the end of the war, but her courage, passion and devotion to her goal (especially during the siege of Orleans) caused a long-awaited moral upsurge and inspired the entire French army for the final victory in the protracted and seemingly hopeless confrontation with the British. Unfortunately, in the battle, the Maid of Orleans was captured by the enemies, was condemned by the Inquisition and burned at the stake at the age of 19.

1. Jesus Christ

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Jesus Christ is the central figure of the Christian religion, and He has had such a strong influence on our world that He is often called the most influential and inspiring person in the history of mankind. Compassion, love for neighbors, sacrifice, humility, repentance and forgiveness, to which Jesus called in his sermons and personal example, were concepts that were absolutely opposite to the values ​​of ancient civilizations during His life on Earth. Nevertheless, today there are about 2.4 billion followers of His teachings and Christian faith in the world.