# The 100 Most Influential People - Try the Third **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 14, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080 "2010-04-14T16:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/321 "2010-05-13T14:36:11Z")
Inventors. Guglielmo Marconi Leaders. Cyrus the Great Philosophy. William Shakespeare Religion. Buddha Science. Michael Faraday ---
**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:** [May 13, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/322 "2010-05-13T14:48:25Z")
Inventors. Joseph Lister Leaders. Alexander the Great Philosophy. Francis Bacon Religion. Moses Science. Enrico Fermi ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/323 "2010-05-13T16:29:58Z")
Three new ones, and I’m into the “gotta pick _someone_” choices. Invention. Nikolaus August Otto Leaders. Josef Stalin Philosophy. Lao Tzu Religion. Constantine the Great Science. John Dalton ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/324 "2010-05-13T17:41:49Z")
Inventor. Nikolaus August Otto Leader. Cyrus Philosophy. Plato Religion. Constantine Science. Johannes Kepler ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/325 "2010-05-13T17:47:52Z")
Invention. Edward Jenner Leaders. Genghis Khan Philosophy. Thomas Jefferson Religion. St. Paul Science. John Dalton All tough choices. Some of them because I don’t know enough about them, and others I picked because I know too much and infer a lot on the people who are left ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/326 "2010-05-13T18:03:21Z")
Inventors. Gugilemo Marconi Leaders. Josef Stalin Philosophy. John Locke Religion. Martin Luther Science. Enrico Fermi The only vote I changed this time is for Locke, when it dawned on me that Democracy had been around a long, long time before Locke was. ---
**Author:** ![XanderCrews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ee59a6/32.png) [@XanderCrews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XanderCrews)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/327 "2010-05-13T18:31:08Z")
Invention. Nikolaus August Otto Leader. Cyrus Philosophy. Lao Tzu Religion. Constantine Science. Enrico Fermi I’m going to lobby for voting for Jesus Christ and Buddha before voting for someone like St. Paul. St. Paul did more for Christianity than Christ in the long run, so don’t be fooled into keeping the namesakes around until the end. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/328 "2010-05-13T18:34:58Z")
> [@XanderCrews](#): > > I’m going to lobby for voting for Jesus Christ and Buddha before voting for someone like St. Paul. St. Paul did more for Christianity than Christ in the long run, so don’t be fooled into keeping the namesakes around until the end. Paul is #2 on my personal list (after Muhammad), and Luther is #6. I’m not sure which order I’m going to vote Buddha/Jesus/Moses. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/329 "2010-05-14T00:31:34Z")
Wowsers! PT exchanges high five with Tom Scud over Hitler! Round #11 Inventions. Nikolaus August Otto Leader. George Washington Philosophy. John Locke Religion. Moses Science. Enrico Fermi Washington, does he really have much influence outside the US? Locke, as stated above he refined some principles of a concept that predated him by millenia. Science, well we are now locked into a death struggle between the physicists and the biologists. I favour life over nukes. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Uncle\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Goat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/330 "2010-05-14T00:33:18Z")
Invention. Antony van Leeuwenhoek Leader. Cyrus the Great Philosophy. Confucius Religion. Constantine the Great Science. Enrico Fermi Cyrus is still around, but Hitler is gone, eh? No wonder “voting” is discouraged and ridiculed. Okay, two new faces: Leeuwenhoek’s real claim to fame is jacking off on a slide and seeing his sperm. And Constantine was more political than religious. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Uncle\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Goat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/331 "2010-05-14T00:52:24Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Also: Wow, I didn’t expect my Hitler vote to bear fruit that fast. A brief justification: I think “influence” (in whatever direction) should include the influence being in a direction that the figure would have intended or approved, and Hitler’s long-term influence on the twentieth century includes dividing and weakening Germany and Europe in military terms, discrediting right-wing nationalism, dictatorship, (especially) “scientific” racism, and (more especially) “scientific” anti-semitism, and providing a serious impetus to the foundation of the state of Israel. I don’t think this was exactly what he was aiming at. > > (Contrast Napoleon, whose code of law is still the basis of French and a lot of other jurisprudence, and who helped to established the metric system.) You’re confusing “achievement” with influence here. Hitler plunged the world into war, giving rise to Sonar, Radar, submarines, jets, jeeps, bazookas, rockets,(and NASA), computers, atomic energy, atomic weapons, the CIA, the GI Bill, Israel, the Cold War, genetics, the Civil Rights movement, as well as redirecting the entire film industry, boosting the desire for cars and interstate highway systems along with portable radios, plastics, television, and several advancements in medicine. But war can do that. All of the items listed above might have happened sooner or later, but they can all be traced with a straight line back to Hitler’s desire for conquest and revenge. And that’s major influence. Not discounting Nappy by any means. Thanks to him, we have canned food and the Louisiana Purchase. Just two of the reasons I’m not targeting him yet. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/332 "2010-05-14T01:41:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Wowsers! PT exchanges high five with Tom Scud over Hitler! Did you guys remember to save his brain like I asked? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/333 "2010-05-14T01:43:41Z")
Rockets? Genetics? Propaganda? Submarines? Roads? Radio? Cold War? Hitler’s influence created these? WWII was the virtually inevitable result of Versailles so why not give the credit for that shopping list to Lloyd George, Clemenceau, and Wilson? Anyhow, that gamers milk is spilt. Next round please. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/334 "2010-05-14T02:13:50Z")
Inventor. Joseph Lister Leader. Cyrus the Great Philosophy. Lao Tzu Religion. Constantine the Great Science. Ernest Rutherford Just a copy-and-paste of my list from last round… ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/335 "2010-05-14T06:00:45Z")
Invention. James Watt Leaders. George Washington Philosophy. Francis Bacon Religion. Constantine the Great Science. John Dalton ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Uncle\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Goat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/336 "2010-05-14T13:24:52Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Rockets? Genetics? Propaganda? Submarines? Roads? Radio? Cold War? > > Hitler’s influence created these? Not “created”, influenced. Name of the game and all. > [@](#): > > WWII was the virtually inevitable result of Versailles so why not give the credit for that shopping list to Lloyd George, Clemenceau, and Wilson? Treaty of Versailles was one of the several factors, not the only one, that gave rise to Nazi Germany. However, the Treaty of Versailles IS directly linked to the war in French Indochina, better known now as Vietnam. Influence is powerful stuff. > [@](#): > > Anyhow, that gamers milk is spilt. > Next round please. 🙂 Where you see no value to George Washington. This is clearly not a history game, is it? ---
**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:** [May 15, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/337 "2010-05-15T15:03:00Z")
Last day for this round… ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/338 "2010-05-15T15:37:04Z")
Inventors. Guglielmo Marconi Leaders. Alexander the Great Philosophy. Lao Tzu Religion. Constantine the Great Science. Enrico Fermi I’m not convinced that the discoveries of the 17th or 18th century are that much more important than the discoveries of the 20th. Scientists like Bohr, Dirac, Heisenberg, Oppenheimer, Feynman and many others had tremendous impact combined. However it’s much harder to point to the credit of any single scientist in that time, and Fermi shares credit for his accomplishments more than some of the other options. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/339 "2010-05-16T17:06:02Z")
Round 11 is over! The losers are: **Category, Name, # of votes** I, Nikolaus August Otto, 5 L, Cyrus the Great, 5 P, Lao Tzu, 6 R, Constantine the Great, 10 S, Enrico Fermi, 6 Wasn’t a good round for the “Great” family - even Alexander received a few votes. Otto lost in a tie-breaker to Marconi. By the way, here is the list of those who have been knocked off (up to round 11): **Original ranking, Name, Category, Lost in Round #…** 9, Christopher Columbus, Invention and Exploration, 4 12, Galileo Galilei, Science, 9 17, Shi Huang Di, Leader, 4 19, Nicolas Copernicus, Science, 10 20, Antonine Laurent Lavoisier, Science, 6 21, Constantine the Great, Religion, 11 24, James Clerk Maxwell, Science, 8 28, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Invention and Exploration, 7 37, William TG Morton, Invention and Exploration, 8 39, Adolf Hitler, Leader, 10 41, Oliver Cromwell, Religion, 3 42, Alexander Graham Bell, Invention and Exploration, 6 45, Ludwig von Beethoven, Philosophy and Arts, 7 46, Werner Heisenberg, Science, 5 47, Louis Dagurre, Invention and Exploration, 9 48, Simon Bolivar, Leader, 3 49, Rene Descrates, Philosophy and Arts, 5 50, Michelangelo, Philosophy and Arts, 10 51, Pope Urban II, Religion, 6 52, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Religion, 10 53, Asoka, Religion, 8 54, St Augustine, Religion, 9 55, William Harvey, Science, 2 57, John Calvin, Religion, 7 58, Gregor Mendel, Science, 3 61, Nikolaus August Otto, Invention and Exploration, 11 62, Francisco Pizarro, Invention and Exploration, 3 63, Hernando Cortes, Invention and Exploration, 5 65, Queen Isabella I, Leader, 6 69, Sigmund Freud, Science, 1 71, William Conrad Roentgen, Science, 4 72, Johann Sebastian Bach, Philosophy and Arts, 3 73, Lao Tzu, Philosophy and Arts, 11 74, Voltaire, Philosophy and Arts, 8 76, Enrico Fermi, Science, 11 77, Leonhard Euler, Science, 7 78, Jean-Jacques Rosseau, Philosophy and Arts, 4 79, Nicoli Machiavelli, Philosophy and Arts, 9 80, Thomas Malthus, Philosophy and Arts, 2 81, John F Kennedy, Leader, 1 82, Gregory Pincus, Invention and Exploration, 1 83, Mani, Religion, 2 86, Vasco de Gama, Invention and Exploration, 2 87, Cyrus the Great, Leader, 11 88, Peter the Great, Leader, 7 91, Henry Ford, Invention and Exploration, 10 92, Mencius, Philosophy and Arts, 1 93, Zoraster, Religion, 4 94, Queen Elizabeth I, Leader, 9 95, Mikhail Gorbachev, Leader, 5 96, Menes, Leader, 2 97, Charlemagne, Leader, 8 98, Homer, Philosophy and Arts, 6 99, Justinian I, Religion, 5 100, Mahavira, Religion, 1 The remaining names are: **Invention** Alexander Fleming, Scientist, Invented Penicillin Antony van Leeuwenhoek, Scientist, Inventor of Microscope Edward Jenner, Scientist, Developed Vaccination for Smallpox Gugilemo Marconi, Scientist, Invented Radio James Watt, British Scientist, Invented Steam Engine Johann Gutenberg, Scientist, Inventor of Printing Press Joseph Lister, Scientist, Developed Antiseptic Methods Thomas Edison, American Scientist, 1,000+ inventions Ts’ai Lun, Scientist, Inventor of Paper **Leader** Alexander the Great, Macedonian Ruler, Formed Macedonian Empire Augustus Caesar, Roman Princep, Founded Roman Empire Genghis Khan, Mongol Ruler, Founded Mongol Empire George Washington, American Statesman and General, Fought For Independence of United States Josef Stalin, Dictator of USSR, Expanded Communism Julius Caesar, Roman General, Ended Roman Civil Wars Lenin, Russian Leader, Founded Communism in Russia Mao Zedong, Chinese Dictator, Established Communism in China Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor, Waged Napoleonic Wars Sui Wen Ti, Chinese Emperor, Reunited China William the Conquerer, Norman Duke and English King, Led In Norman Conquest of England **Philosophy** Adam Smith, Economist, Advocated Capitalism Aristotle, Greek Philosopher Confucius, Chinese Philosopher, Founder of Confucianism Francis Bacon, Philosopher, Developed Scientific Method John Locke, British Philosopher, Developed Democratic Ideas Karl Marx, Economist, Founder of Communism Plato, Greek Philosopher, Developed Platonism Thomas Jefferson, American Statesman, Wrote Declaration of Independence, Louisiana Purchase William Shakespeare, English Playwright **Religion** Buddha, Founder of Buddhism Jesus Christ, Founder of Christianity Martin Luther, Theologian, Started Protestantism and Reformation Mohammed, Founder of Islam Moses, Jewish Prophet St Paul, Christian Missionary and Apostle **Science** Albert Einstein, Scientist, Physicist, Theory of Relativity Charles Darwin, British Scientist, Theory of Evolution Ernest Rutherford, Scientist, Developed Subatomic Physics Euclid, Greek Mathematician Isaac Newton, British Scientist, Theory of Universal Gravitation and Motion Johannes Kepler, Scientist, Developed Theories of Planetary Motion John Dalton, Scientist, Atomic Theory Louis Pasteur, Scientist, Pasteurization, Germ Theory of Disease Max Planck, Scientist, Developed Therodynamics Michael Faraday, British Scientist, Discovered Electromagnetism ---
**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:** [May 16, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080/340 "2010-05-16T17:10:29Z")
3 of my 5 went down… some damn tough choices, especially in the Religion category. Inventors. Joseph Lister Leaders. Mao Zedong Philosophy. Thomas Jefferson, Religion. Buddha Science. John Dalton Lister - once germ theory came about, practical methods for killing the things would’ve evolved regardless. Jefferson - recycled Locke, and I don’t want to vote for Shakespeare yet. Religion - Sorry, but Buddhism has little influence where I live. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-100-most-influential-people-try-the-third/536080.md?page=18)