Obama, for breaking the color barrier and becoming POTUS.
Bill Gates
Bin Laden
Tom Cruise, Madonna, Angelina & Brad, maybe there’s quite a few other popular celebrities might make the cut.
Why would anyone 1000 years from now care about those particular successful ancient actors, out of all the thousands upon thousands of successful actors that will exist between now and then?
The same for George Lucas, though I think he was proposed only as a joke.
And, for that matter, basically the same for Bill Gates…
I think she will be remembered for sheer longevity if nothing else. She’ll probably pass Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch, and she will have done so during a period of considerable historical interest.
Fry, stop interfering with history! I don’t wanna have to memorize a lot of new kings when I get back!
Alive today?
We only really remember the past in terms of what’s significant to the present. So what will be important to the people of the “present” in 3011? It’s impossible to say.
Venturing a guess, though, maybe Buddhism will become the worldwide dominant religion by then, a trend that began with the death of the 14th and last Dalai Lama. So maybe the Dalai Lama will have temples or shrines dedicated to him in Atlanta and Salt Lake City a thousand years from now.
I agree. The general public BARELY remembers actors and actresses from the early 1900s even now. In a few decades, people won’t care about Brad and Angelina any more than they care about Clara Bow now.
HEY! I care! Don’t you disrespect my Clara.
Currently? I don’t know. But we’re not talking about currently, we’re talking about a thousand years from now. Assuming that Armstrong is currently the more famous figure, how much of that is due to the domination of American media around the globe? And how likely is it that America will maintain its cultural hegemony for another thousand years?
That said, I doubt he’ll be completely forgotten. But its unlikely he’ll be more than a footnote in the history of mankind’s journey into space. Almost certainly, not a figure known to the average man-on-the-street.
Average man on the moon, perhaps. 
Maybe, but that will depend if the UK is still a major nation in 1000 years time. How familiar is the average person with Sobhuza II of Swaziland? According to Wikipedia, he’s the longest reigning monarch in history, and he died less than 30 years ago. I’d actually be surprised if anyone reading this knew that , and I’d be amazed if I meet someone in the next year who does.
This is the biggest problem with trying to predict who will be remembered - we don’t know what countries or artistic movements will be remembered by the general public in 1000 years.
Good questions. But I also suspect a large part of it is that walking on the moon has a certain poetic resonance, which makes it seem like a natural, concrete accomplishment to care about. First man in space is something too, but it seems like just another signpost along the path of getting higher and higher. It doesn’t have the same oomph factor (to me, anyway).
It does now, sure, but that’s at least partially because we’ve never gotten any further than the moon. If we have working colonies on Mars in 3011, is anyone going to be hugely impressed by the guy who walked on the moon? Conversely, if in a thousand years, we still haven’t gotten any further than the moon, is anyone going to care about space travel at all?
I think, long term, Armstrong will be “another signpost along the path.” Gagarin is where the path starts.
I’d question whether the United States will still exist as a recognizable entity in a thousand years. I certainly doubt most people will be remembering all the Presidents if the list gets up over a couple hundred.
Quick, how many of the Doges of Venice can you name of the top of your head?
After we finally get the Dyson sphere built, Freeman Dyson will be a household name forever.
To make the cut politically, you have to significantly change the world for a long, long time. People like Genghis Khan and William the Conqueror make it, while people like Hitler or Bin Laden won’t.
I’d say today, nobody makes the cut politically. Nobody gives a shit who the first minority-race president of some country a thousand years ago was, or who ended some oppressive policy in some country a thousand years ago, or who started a minor skirmish for some economic or political deviousness a thousand years ago.
On the other hand, the greatest film director of all time (so far) is still quite alive in Steven Spielberg. He has a slim chance of entering the very small group of long-remembered entertainers. It’s possible the Beatles will be remembered in a thousand years, but I would certainly not count on it.
I don’t see any religions with a central figure alive today making any waves, but I don’t know if that’s an indicator that some small cult leader won’t gain interest posthumously.
I think our best chance for getting someone remembered for a thousand years is in the sciences. We’re THIS CLOSE to serious scientific breakthroughs that will significantly improve the human condition. The problem is that the breakthroughs either haven’t yet happened or the implications haven’t been realized yet, so it would be impossible to predict who they might be.
If he’s remembered above Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola, just to mention living directors, I’m glad I won’t be alive in 1000 years! Anyway, John Ford was the greatest director, and I imagine will be remembered then if anyone remembers films at all.
John Ford isn’t even a household name now! Why do you suppose his films might last a thousand years, but Schindler’s List wont?
You’re proposing Schindler’s List will be remembered, but Hitler won’t?
Yeah, just like Shakespeare is remembered more than his characters