# Who was the Most Important Person in History? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 3, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753 "2009-01-03T23:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spin\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Spin\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spin_Master)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/1 "2009-01-03T23:03:30Z")
There have been many greats in human history: Emperors, military generals, philosophers, inventors, industrialists, scientists, and statesmen. But let’s focus on the top of the top–the best of the best. Much more than that, let’s focus on the heart of it all: The one person that has had a greater effect on the world than any other person in history; the one person who has made the greatest contribution to human society. When it comes to possessing personal characteristics that have inspired entire generations, when it comes to the accumulation and use of power, when it comes to innovation, ideas, and influence, who was the one person who stood above the rest? Who was the most important person to ever live? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/2 "2009-01-03T23:04:35Z")
Eve ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/3 "2009-01-03T23:28:02Z")
One third of the world is Christian, so Jesus of Nazareth would seem a pretty easy pick. Mohammed would also be a good choice; while Islam is not as big, Mohammed A) Unquestionably existed, and B) Was much more instrumental in the spread of Islam than Jesus was in the spread of Christianity, a religion he didn’t try to create and which he would likely have found appalling. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/4 "2009-01-03T23:28:07Z")
I did a thread similar to this a couple of years ago. The three people that I came up with were the Apostle Paul, Mohammed, and Alexander the Great. I’m going with Paul. Without him, Christianity is a minor Jewish sect. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/5 "2009-01-04T00:17:05Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Without him \*(the apostle Paul), \*Christianity is a minor Jewish sect. Shouldn’t that be Constantine, and not Paul? (I am not weighing in on the OP; just your answer to it.) ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/6 "2009-01-04T00:24:00Z")
> [@Spin\_Master](#): > > …Much more than that, let’s focus on the heart of it all: The one person that has had a greater effect on the world than any other person in history; the one person who has made the greatest contribution to human society… > > Who was the most important person to ever live? Such a person is likely to be completely unknown. It is most likely to be an individual who was the recipient of a genetic mutation which was critical in our humanness–perhaps related to language or IQ. For individuals known to history: For gifts of genius covering the breadth of understanding, I’d put Leonardo da Vinci at the top, but I don’t think there’s a way to quantitate “the best.” ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/7 "2009-01-04T00:28:22Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > For individuals known to history: For gifts of genius covering the breadth of understanding, I’d put Leonardo da Vinci at the top, but I don’t think there’s a way to quantitate “the best.” As far as advancing knowledge I’d say that Newton, among others, pretty much dominate Leo. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/8 "2009-01-04T00:29:29Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > Shouldn’t that be Constantine, and not Paul? > (I am not weighing in on the OP; just your answer to it.) No. Constantine made far less difference, IMO, by making Christianity legal than Paul did in spreading it far and wide. There’s a reason Paul is always high up there. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/9 "2009-01-04T00:36:46Z")
Outside of religion, I’ll go for Hammurabi because of his codification of laws. ---
**Author:** ![catflea12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@catflea12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catflea12)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/10 "2009-01-04T00:51:34Z")
Thomas Edison, without him, we wouldn’t be in front of a computer right now ---
**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:** [January 4, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/11 "2009-01-04T00:58:39Z")
How about Leonardo of Pisa (aka Fibonacci)? He convinced the Western World to stop using Roman numerals and switch over to the decimal system. A major advance in mathematics which built a foundation for science, technology, and finance. ---
**Author:** ![spike404](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@spike404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spike404)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/12 "2009-01-04T00:59:09Z")
If how they affected our modern western culture is considered, it has to be Napoleon. He was the leader of the movement that saw the downfall of leadership/power by birth-right. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/13 "2009-01-04T01:05:54Z")
Where would Hitler be on this list? Seems like he pretty much shaped the entire last half of the 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/14 "2009-01-04T01:11:14Z")
> [@catflea12](#): > > Thomas Edison, without him, we wouldn’t be in front of a computer right now I’d put Alexander the Great over inventors. If Columbus wouldn’t have discovered America someone else would have shortly after. Same for most inventions, IMHO. I vote Genghis Khan. eta: Yes, I realize discovery and inventing are different things. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/15 "2009-01-04T01:17:31Z")
Modesty forbids… ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/16 "2009-01-04T01:21:21Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > No. Constantine made far less difference, IMO, by making Christianity legal than Paul did in spreading it far and wide. There’s a reason Paul is always high up there. Wasn’t it Paul’s idea to drop the stuff about kashrut and circumcision? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/17 "2009-01-04T01:22:58Z")
Gutenberg. Without him you probably wouldn’t know nearly as much about the rest of these guys! ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/18 "2009-01-04T01:40:21Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Wasn’t it Paul’s idea to drop the stuff about kashrut and circumcision? Re kashrut, technically Peter’s- Acts 10. But he did vascillate when challenged by the “Judaizers”, for which Paul called him out. Paul did go on the record about circumcision, although he wasn’t totally against it- he either did circumcise Timothy or had Timothy get it done. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/19 "2009-01-04T01:40:57Z")
> [@catflea12](#): > > Thomas Edison, without him, we wouldn’t be in front of a computer right now Not to take away from the genius of most inventors or discoverers, but I believe in many of these cases if they personally hadn’t existed someone else would have shortly invented or discovered the item in question. I think the person in question will be a political or religious leader of some sort - someone who if they didn’t exist history might have moved in a very different direction. If a strong leader or influence didn’t exist at a critical time entire powers may never have materialized. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753/20 "2009-01-04T01:56:05Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > …I think the person in question will be a political or religious leader of some sort - someone who if they didn’t exist history might have moved in a very different direction. If a strong leader or influence didn’t exist at a critical time entire powers may never have materialized. Augustus Caesar (the original) surely ranks up there with Alexander the Great. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-important-person-in-history/479753.md?page=2)