How is it that Dostoevsky is mentioned but not Tolstoy?
Scientists, authors, playwrights and artists get the majority of my votes.
The greatest of them all, I would go for William Shakespeare - who I suspect will be mainstream culture in another 500 years+ when all the politicians here will have been largely forgotten. Alexander the Great was exceptional I have to admit, although not sure about his legacy.
The fact that George W Bush has yet to earn a vote warms my heart somewhat. It is extraordinary that his name appears on the list to be honest.
Oh, the lists are from TV shows! I get it. And the U.S. one was on the Discovery Channel in 2005.
How about if you don’t like it, don’t post in it and see how many fucks I give.
Both of you cut out the snarky replied in this thread/forum and stop the (mild) jr modding.
Just want to apologise for acting like a complete jackhole in this thread, when you like to post a lot of polls about stuff as I do not everything’s a winner, and I clearly didn’t think this one through.
I was going to vote for Margaret Thatcher as the world’s greatest Briton, but I saw that she wasn’t there and went with Winston Churchill instead.
I am disappointed that known nutjob Newton is winning over Shakespeare. There’s not enough Cousteau love. And what do people have against Canadians (I voted for Suzuki)?
In retrospect, perhaps you should have entertained nominations before making the poll. Seriously, George W. Bush? Reagan? Diana? Cromwell?
Isn’t the reason polls and Top Ten™ lists are created is to provoke emotional and factual retorts from people who vehemently agree or disagree with the results? In that respect I think it has been a resounding success 
FWIW I also agree some names are missing - no Muhammad Ali is one - but it’s an interesting take on what different countries think their best are/were. At least the US poll didn’t have Steve Jobs or Mickey bloody Mouse!
Why is Stalin on the poll but not Adolf?
Does this help?
The only woman on the American list is Oprah Winfrey? the woman who made the anti-science careers of Jenny McCarthy and Dr. Oz? Cripes, I can roll off ten greater women, like Dorothy Parker and Gloria Steinem, who aren’t even getting into the superlative territory. Alice Paul? Barbara Jordan? Sally Ride?