# What Famous/Infamous Person Would you want to Meet **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632 "2003-01-24T16:44:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jacksen9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jacksen9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksen9)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/21 "2003-01-25T05:42:15Z")
John Wooden Johnny Carson Bill Gates Martin Luther King John F. Kennedy Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Winston Churchill ---
**Author:** ![Zorro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ad7895/32.png) [@Zorro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zorro)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/22 "2003-01-25T15:23:47Z")
I wanted the meet **Lemmy** , but then I did (he was in the pub alone playing on the fruit machine, so we had a drink and a chat), so that’s out of the way. Otherwise I’d like to get pissed with **Errol Flynn**. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/23 "2003-01-25T15:54:09Z")
Hero: Sacajawea Spiritual: Siddhartha Gautama, Dalai Lama Academic: Ian Hancock Musical: John Denver, Bee Gees, John Mellencamp Literary: Stephen Ambrose, various poets of 18th-20th century Philosophical: Nietzsche, Sarte, Locke ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/24 "2003-01-25T17:18:45Z")
You want to meet Jesus and talk about philosophy? I think there might be a language barrier. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/25 "2003-01-25T20:34:52Z")
Not if he’s God. (Jesus, I mean, although I suppose it would work the other way, too.) I heard this topic discussed on the radio, and someone mentioned the person they’d most like to spend a day with would be Uma Thurman. One of the hosts said something like, “That doesn’t sound like very much fun for Uma.” That put the question in a whole different light for me. If I did spend a day with one of the world’s greatest intellects, how would I hold up my end of the conversation? (No, wiseass, I’m not calling Uma one of the world’s greatest intellects.) ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/26 "2003-01-25T21:25:56Z")
Dick Gregory, because he is so wise. If you don’t believe me, read his books. I don’t know WHY he is always seen behind Mr. Sharpton then.,…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/27 "2003-01-25T21:29:23Z")
dead: Abbie Hoffman ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/28 "2003-01-25T22:42:53Z")
Alive - Mike Judge, Jennifer Saunders… lotsa larfs Dead - Ambrose Bierce, Dorothy Parker… drinking scotch, smoking cigars Mythical - Loki, Aphrodite… trick and treat ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/29 "2003-01-26T02:06:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > \*\*I’d like to sit down with Hitler with a modern history book and some nuclear physics books \*\* You want to teach Hitler to build a nuke?! I’m afraid that won’t be possible, because I will arrange to meet him in about 1920 and blow his fuckin’ head off. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecccb3/32.png) [@Ian\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_G)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/30 "2003-01-26T02:12:46Z")
I think I’d wanna meet Socrates. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/31 "2003-01-26T03:13:09Z")
Gallileo, Moses, Miles Davis, god. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/32 "2003-01-26T03:18:43Z")
Oh, why? Gallileo- The greatest skeptic ever. Moses- Greatest Prophet ever Miles Davis- Greatest jazz musician ever. God- Greatest thing ever? ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/33 "2003-01-26T06:19:27Z")
Alive: [ul][li]Jocelyn Ford, my favorite reporter[_]Paige Davis, on whom I have a crush[_]Dom Joly for bong hits (of nothing illegal, of course) & Guiness[/ul][/li]Dead: [ul][li]Pierre de Fermat[_]Scipio Africanus[_]MachiavelliEvariste Galois to tell him not to go to that damn duel[/ul][/li]Mythical: I don’t know many myths. If Death from Discworld counts, then I’d like to go drinking with him. ---
**Author:** ![PeppermintPatty85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PeppermintPatty85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeppermintPatty85)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/34 "2003-01-26T06:24:28Z")
Living: Sadam, I just want to know what’s going on for myself. Screw the media and the government, I don’t trust them… Dead: Shakespeare, Man how hot would it be to spend the night with good ol’ Billy Shakespeare. Wow. Or Andrew Jackson Something about him pisses me off and i’d like to kick his ass Fictional: Anne Shirley. Talk about Anne of Green Gables Rules! or Holden Caulfield, from Catcher in the Rye. Yeah he’s awesome, and my hero. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/35 "2003-01-26T16:11:49Z")
Alive - Sting, Russell Crowe, J.K Rowling, Erin Brockovich, John Nash, Lynda Carter, Pierce Brosnan, Patrick Stewart Dead - Princess Diana, Johann Guttenberg, Roy Orbison, Aristotle, Salvadore Dali, Mythical - Athena, Thor, Neptune ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/36 "2003-01-26T17:55:22Z")
It’s totally selfish in some respects, but Buzz Aldrin signed my 20th anniversary moon landing poster when I met him a few years back - I’d love to meet Neil Armstrong before he dies so I can collect his signature on that same poster. Beyond that, I think it would be fascniating to have a conversation with any of Gene Krantz, Mikiel Gorbachev, Paul McCartney, Nelson Mandella, Ethan Hawke. An elclectic list, I know. For people past, I’d love to have a chat with Albert Einstein. We’d talk about coffee and puppies and stuff, because there’s no way I could grasp general relativity. I think it would be a hoot to be able to have a post-mortum conversation with Richard Feynman too - in Tuva. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/37 "2003-01-26T18:18:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVGuy \* > **We’d talk about coffee and puppies and stuff, because there’s no way I could grasp general relativity.** I bet you could. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/38 "2003-01-26T20:50:12Z")
If I could spend the afternoon with them and there was no language barrier; Living; The Pope - I have a few words for him on Contraception vs. him riding around in an armored Limo. And the whole Abstinence thing. Dead; Tesla - far and away. Teach me some of those secrets! Jesus - real philosophy and life history vs. what came about. Osiris - The ancient man behind the myth Marco Polo, Heroditus, The Admiral of the 15th century Chinese trade fleet, (crap, brainfart) the Muslim ‘Marco Polo’ who went from north Africa to India and China. Hell, for that matter, just about ANYONE with broad knowledge of their nation, people and region, from ANYTIME previous to about 3,000 years ago, or even better, 7-15,000 years ago. It would be fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![ffabris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a87d85/32.png) [@ffabris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ffabris)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/39 "2003-01-27T00:02:10Z")
Top of my list would be Akhenaton, to try to understand what led to his theistic reform and other radical changes. Thutankhamon - or rather, his advisors - to understand how and why Akhenaton’s reforms were abandoned. Imhotep (though he may be legendary) to learn what inspired him to design the step pyramid. ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632/40 "2003-01-27T03:54:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by js\_africanus \* > > _Originally posted by TVGuy_ > We’d talk about coffee and puppies and stuff, because there’s no way I could grasp general relativity. > > \*\*I bet you could. \*\* I don’t know. From the MAN himself? Hell, I’ve never really managed to figure out that whole mess with Schroedinger and that darned cat. I think once ol’ Al got going on curved spacetime and stuff, he’d lose me pretty fast. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-famous-infamous-person-would-you-want-to-meet/150632.md?page=3)