# In future "Greatest People Ever" lists, who alive today will rank in the top 100? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870 "2019-01-16T15:50:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/61 "2019-01-17T18:47:19Z")
Yeah, that’s who I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/62 "2019-01-17T19:36:59Z")
I’m going to throw a long shot mention for Sir David Attenborough; not due to any actual personal achievement as a scientist, but for a much more depressing reason; it seems unlikely that anyone will ever again be filmed with such a range of natural events and species. If someone in 200 years time wants to look at wild footage of a whole range of species, all that’s likely to be available will have him in it or be from one of his programmes, due to a combination of being in the right place at the right time and having a huge body of work. The ‘what nature used to be like’ guy of the future. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/63 "2019-01-17T23:18:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I expect Elon Musk will be removed from all of the companies he’s involved with or die of a drug overdose within a short time. All of them? Whys that? Also what do you mean about the drug overdose? He seems like a workaholic and like someone who’d die in his 60s from heart disease but I haven’t heard rumors about him and drugs. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/64 "2019-01-17T23:24:27Z")
He smoked a fattie while doing a podcast, which caused NASA to perform a culture and safety review of SpaceX: > **[Elon Musk won’t be smoking weed in public again, NASA admin says](https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/29/18118769/elon-musk-smoke-weed-nasa-admin-jim-bridenstine-workplace-culture-review)** > > NASA is currently conducting a workplace culture and safety review of Boeing and SpaceX, due in part to Musk’s behavior ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/65 "2019-01-17T23:39:55Z")
[This article](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/business/azealia-banks-elon-musk.html) includes a disputed allegation that acid use prompted the ridiculous $420/share offer to buy out Tesla. And [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/business/elon-musk-interview-tesla.html) he admits to using Ambien to get to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/66 "2019-01-17T23:43:14Z")
I knew about those drugs (at least I knew about the weed & ambien, didn’t know about the LSD), but I assumed **Dewey Finn** meant Musk was taking opiates since that is what a lot of OD deaths are (more fentanyl). You can’t OD on weed or LSD. As far as the ambien, as long as he isn’t drinking heavily while taking them I assume he’d be fine. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/67 "2019-01-18T07:27:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > By “Brin-Page”, I assume you mean Sergey Brin and Larry Page? One problem is that’s two people. The Hart’s List has Orville-Wilbur Wright has a _single_ name in the #28 slot. I chose to copy that trick. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/68 "2019-01-18T08:40:57Z")
Since hindsight is so much easier than foresight, I’m still reviewing Hart’s List. Of six industrialists born in the 19th century on the List, all but Henry Ford were inventors: Wright-Wright, Edison, Marconi, Bell and ‘4-stroke’ Otto. I guess most of these inventors would have been much harder to replace than money-men like Rockefeller or Morgan. (The list also has four 19th-century inventors who improved medicine or surgery.) No qualified 20th-century inventor comes to mind except for industrial giants like Gates (and Jobs?) — the transistor was invented by a team, and the idea of merging URL’s and hypertext was inevitable. The List’s 19th century-born politicians shown earlier seem a dismal lot. I’d have tried to squeeze Churchill and at least one of the Presidents Roosevelt onto my list. If I’m not mistaken, Hart’s List has only two 19th century-born painters (Picasso and van Gogh) and zero musicians, composers, novelists, etc. Are the Beatles the only plausible artistic addition to the new list? :o ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/69 "2019-01-18T12:01:59Z")
No love at all for Jimmy Wales? Hands up the person who hasn’t benefited from his mission. j ---
**Author:** ![road\_lobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d78d45/32.png) [@road\_lobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/road_lobo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/70 "2019-01-18T13:03:52Z")
> [@Garak](#): > > he designed a rescue sub to save those Thai kids who were stuck in a cave No. He “designed” a metal tube. When one of the divers who actually saved the kids rebuffed Musk’s “invention” instead of genuflecting, Musk accused him of being a pedophile. He is a paper tiger. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/71 "2019-01-18T13:52:59Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Since hindsight is so much easier than foresight, I’m still reviewing Hart’s List. > > Of six industrialists born in the 19th century on the List, all but Henry Ford were inventors: Wright-Wright, Edison, Marconi, Bell and ‘4-stroke’ Otto. I guess most of these inventors would have been much harder to replace than money-men like Rockefeller or Morgan. (The list also has four 19th-century inventors who improved medicine or surgery.) No qualified 20th-century inventor comes to mind except for industrial giants like Gates (and Jobs?) — the transistor was invented by a team, and the idea of merging URL’s and hypertext was inevitable. > > The List’s 19th century-born politicians shown earlier seem a dismal lot. I’d have tried to squeeze Churchill and at least one of the Presidents Roosevelt onto my list. > > If I’m not mistaken, Hart’s List has only two 19th century-born painters (Picasso and van Gogh) and zero musicians, composers, novelists, etc. Are the Beatles the only plausible artistic addition to the new list? :o Good post. I would have Rockefeller in my top-100, easy, as he is far more than a “money man”. The man invented systems and processes which allowed for the creation of non-State created multinational corporate empires and he did so in a field which was so crucial to post 19th-century development that no fewer than 1/2 of the industrialist-inventors Hart listed required Rockefeller to do what he did _first_. 20th-Century inventors - is Borlaug an inventor? I think the transistor team should be included regardless of they being a trio, but if we reduce “birth of computers” to a single name ala “James Watt/birth of Industrial Revolution”, then in 200 years there might be a lot of people worldwide who “know” that some American named Steve Jobs invented computers. If you’re not allowing Brittain-Bardeen-Schockley as a team for the transistor, then you can’t allow John, Paul, George, and Ringo for the music. Sorry, your rules. 😉 Might want to substitute Beatles with Elvis. And, as always, Hart’s list is just that: _Hart’s_ list. He is no more or less an authority than that which we wish to give him. I, of course, can build a “better” list, and so can each of us. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/72 "2019-01-18T14:32:59Z")
Mmm-hmmm. No women. Same shit, different day. Whoops. One Pelosi mention. Guess I should be grateful. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/73 "2019-01-18T14:34:36Z")
Well, which women do _you_ think should be listed? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/74 "2019-01-18T14:47:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Well, which women do _you_ think should be listed? I would list Hilary Clinton, even though I don’t like her very much. Both for everything she accomplished, and all the shit she had to endure doing it. I would also list Oprah Winfrey, even though I don’t like her very much either. But you can’t argue with how far she had to come to get to where she is. Angela Merkel has been Chancellor of Germany for over ten years, and doing a damn fine job. A lot of folks think she’s really the leader of the free world. I will admit that coming up with non-dead examples is a bit difficult. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/75 "2019-01-18T14:50:38Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Mmm-hmmm. No women. Same shit, different day. > > Whoops. One Pelosi mention. Guess I should be grateful. Hart’s List of 100 has two women. Can you guess who they are from the following clue: …_One of the “most influential” women had a son-in-law who fathered the other “most influential” woman._ MIT’s Pantheon project has its own List of 100, which is automated based on Google hits or something. 😕 :eek: MIT’s list is missing one of Hart’s women, but adds 7 other women. However you may not like their choices: Cleopatra VII Nefertiti Joan of Arc Mary Mother of God Sappho Mary Magdalene Anne Boleyn ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/76 "2019-01-18T14:55:59Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I would list Hilary Clinton, even though I don’t like her very much. Both for everything she accomplished, and all the shit she had to endure doing it. > > I would also list Oprah Winfrey, even though I don’t like her very much either. But you can’t argue with how far she had to come to get to where she is. > > Angela Merkel has been Chancellor of Germany for over ten years, and doing a damn fine job. A lot of folks think she’s really the leader of the free world. > > I will admit that coming up with non-dead examples is a bit difficult. Have at it. People have been nominating the dead since post 20, so no big deal. Would like to hear your thoughts! 🙂 (Of your three, barring no dramatic changes, probably Merkel has the best shot of being on that list.) ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/77 "2019-01-18T14:57:17Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > He first got rich putting the yellow pages online. > > Then he helped build a company that changed online banking (it became paypal). > > Then he helped bring electric cars back into the mainstream. > > He is a major investor in one of the biggest solar companies in the US. > > He invested in Deepmind early, and now Deepmind is a major leader in AI. > > His team designed the hyperloop, which other engineers are working on as a method of travel. > > Space-X is making space travel cheaper. > > Neuralink is working on ways to create a brain-computer interface. > > And he is only 47 right now. He has another 40 years of entrepreneurship ahead of him. > > I think his real talent is just using financial capital to hire human capital to solve pretty big problems. Call me a fanboy, but he is a very productive member of the human race. If that’s the criteria, I would suggest that Andrew Carnegie would rank far higher on the list of the greatest 200, and I’m not sure he belongs on there. I would tend to think that Bill Gates has a pretty decent shot at the list. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/78 "2019-01-18T15:18:37Z")
Unless another ethnic president comes to power prior to this future list being compiled, I believe Obama will be on it. Not so much for his individual accompluihments, but for what he represents - America’s first and only ethnic president. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/79 "2019-01-18T15:58:06Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I would list Hilary Clinton, even though I don’t like her very much. Both for everything she accomplished, and all the shit she had to endure doing it. > > I would also list Oprah Winfrey, even though I don’t like her very much either. But you can’t argue with how far she had to come to get to where she is. > > Angela Merkel has been Chancellor of Germany for over ten years, and doing a damn fine job. A lot of folks think she’s really the leader of the free world. > > I will admit that coming up with non-dead examples is a bit difficult. What accomplishments did HRC do that could be considered great? Oprah was a very good talk show host but that is a low bar for great. Merkel is a very good politician from an important country but passing mild reforms to an economy is her only positive contributions that I can think of. Her more important legacy will probably the populist backlash her immigration policies have caused throughout Europe. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870/80 "2019-01-18T16:00:18Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Hart’s List of 100 has two women. Can you guess who they are from the following clue: > …_One of the “most influential” women had a son-in-law who fathered the other “most influential” woman._ > > MIT’s Pantheon project has its own List of 100, which is automated based on Google hits or something. 😕 :eek: > > MIT’s list is missing one of Hart’s women, but adds 7 other women. However you may not like their choices: > Cleopatra VII > Nefertiti > Joan of Arc > Mary Mother of God > Sappho > Mary Magdalene > Anne Boleyn Apropos of nothing, but as a kid, for the longest time I thought “Magdalene” was Jesus’s moms maiden name. :o [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-future-greatest-people-ever-lists-who-alive-today-will-rank-in-the-top-100/827870.md?page=5)