# Who would you bring back from history to show the modern world to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 16, 2023, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113 "2023-05-16T06:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![QMatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@QMatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QMatic)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/41 "2023-05-16T15:59:11Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Also, I learned from that video that Brits pronounce his name “Van _ **Goff** _” which seems odd. Did not know that. Is that closer to the Dutch pronunciation I wonder, instead of the American “Van _ **Go** _” “Van _ **Goff** _” is a British take on the Dutch. “Van _ **Go** _” is an American take on the French take on the Dutch. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/42 "2023-05-16T16:07:26Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Yes, Beethoven was the rebel who broke _all_ the rules. First, he demonstrated mastery of Classical Music up to and including his beautiful 1st symphony, then he ushered in the Romantic era of music with his ground-breaking 3rd symphony, which his contemporary audiences didn’t understand, or appreciate. To them, it sounded like punk rock to your grandparents. Beethoven was the Sid Vicious of his day…but, with supreme talent. I think about the same, that Mozart would appreciate rock’n’roll and pop music (would be interesting to hear his take on “Rock Me Amadeus”), while Beethoven could like some prog-rock (including kraut rock), post-rock or even post-punk. But I’m surely no authority on that because I only know their most famous works, so it’s a hunch. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/43 "2023-05-16T16:13:54Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I’d like to show the Wright Brothers a 747 taking off. Wilbur died in 1912 but Orville died in 1948. He saw long range bombers and fighter jets. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/44 "2023-05-16T16:15:09Z")
I’d want to gather up a bunch of icons from the early days of rock 'n roll, everyone from Elvis, Big Mama Thornton, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry etc., as well as Sam Philips and Alan Freed, and bring them to a packed day at Glastonbury. I’d love to see them drink in how much the music has evolved and exploded since its early relatively simple beginnings. Maybe I’d throw Lester Bangs into the mix as well…he died early on in the 80s and missed a ton of great moments and movements in music. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/45 "2023-05-16T16:17:11Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > I’d want to gather up a bunch of icons from the early days of rock 'n roll, everyone from Elvis, Big Mama Thornton, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry etc., as well as Sam Philips and Alan Freed, and bring them to a packed day at Glastonbury. Well, Chuck Berry lived to see all the modern changes in rock and pop music. Don’t know what he thought about it though. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/46 "2023-05-16T16:17:53Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I’d rather bring back someone whose talents are truly unexcelled in my era. It’s not quite a dead art (though it may smell that way): > **[Mr Methane - Farting Man, Performing Flatulist](https://www.mrmethane.com/)** > > Fart along with The Worlds Only Performing Flatulist; Mr Methane - The Farting Man! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/47 "2023-05-16T17:11:45Z")
> [@QMatic](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > Also, I learned from that video that Brits pronounce his name “Van _ **Goff** _” which seems odd. Did not know that. Is that closer to the Dutch pronunciation I wonder, instead of the American “Van _ **Go** _” > > “Van _ **Goff** _” is a British take on the Dutch. “Van _ **Go** _” is an American take on the French take on the Dutch. So what is the Dutch take on the Dutch? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/48 "2023-05-16T17:14:53Z")
I’d like to show the pioneers of computing a modern smart phone. I’d also like to show the pioneers of motion pictures (and computers!) a modern special-effects-laden movie like the recent Godzilla vs Kong movie. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/49 "2023-05-16T17:17:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > So what is the Dutch take on the Dutch? I had posted it in the longer version of my post that QMatic partially quoted: > [@solost](#): > > [According to this video](https://youtu.be/ZufH6h1-Tm8), it’s neither “Goff” nor “Go” in Dutch, it’s more of a “Hhhaughhhh”: ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/50 "2023-05-16T17:37:21Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I’d like to show the Wright Brothers a 747 taking off. Everybody is looking for famous historic figures to bring forth to the modern era. But what about the commoners? I’ve spoken before of a daydream in which I pick some random farmer from, say, the 1700s, and bring him to the modern world. Show him a general aviation plane, a Cessna or some such thing. It’s small, seats maybe a couple of people. It’s novel, amazing, but still a plausible invention to his mind. The wings are of a reasonable size - something men can build, something that scales to the size of a person. He can reach out and touch it, he can grab a wingtip and shake the whole craft on its wheels. Takeoff speed is about 60 MPH - faster than he’s ever gone, but not by all that much: he’s seen horses galloping at 40 MPH before. From a distance, the engine sound is just a mildly annoying buzz. Now show him a 747. Its scale just doesn’t make sense. The wings are so far above him that he can’t reach them, let alone shake the whole airplane in any noticeable way. They’re so large that when he stands beneath them it’s hard to conceive of them as wings in the same sense as what birds have. Nearly a million pounds fully loaded. 400+ people on board, each bringing a generous pile of luggage. It can stay in the air for _hours_ and ferry people 1/3 of the way around the world before touching the earth again. Stand the farmer at the midpoint of a runway with the 747 lined up at one end: it’s a mile away, but it’s still ominously large. When the engines spool up to takeoff power, it’s not just a mildly annoying buzz - it’s an airborne earthquake, shaking the farmer’s lungs like a prairie thunderstorm that doesn’t quit. It passes by at 150 MPH, slowly pitches its nose up to an absurd height, and then slips the surly bonds of earth. A few minutes later, it’s flying higher than the tallest mountains and covering more ground in an hour than he can in a month on horseback. The Wright brothers had seen steamships and large-scale industrial machinery. Their flying machines were modestly sized, but they probably would have had some inkling that advancements in technology might have eventually led to something like the 747. No doubt they would have been impressed, but nothing like the jaw-dropping awe of a person who had never known flying machines of any kind during his lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/51 "2023-05-16T17:48:52Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I’d bring back Billy the Kid, Sigmund Freud, Abraham Lincoln, Genghis Khan, Socrates, Joan of Arc, and Beethoven Excellent choices 😄. I’d add Henry VIII to see what he would think about the top buffets in Las Vegas and how they compare to the feasts they served at his table. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/52 "2023-05-16T20:50:23Z")
For someone else maybe, but I don’t lean toward princesses. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/53 "2023-05-16T21:06:46Z")
I’m going to suggest a 15th-18th century princess will be quite a PITA to deal with, will have bad teeth, and need considerable re-training in hygiene before you’ll want to get very close to her. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/54 "2023-05-16T22:10:45Z")
Gee, people. Bring back somebody useful. Like Henry Ford. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/55 "2023-05-16T22:14:45Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Like Henry Ford. We have enough Nazi sympathizers in the 20th Century, thank you. Bringing back almost anybody from a hundred or more years ago would be like spending your days with an intolerant/racist/xenophobic/sexist/homophobic/superstitious /unhygienic/backwards uncle. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/56 "2023-05-16T22:15:37Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Now show him a 747. It wouldn’t even need to take off to be astounding. Turn the night into day with the landing lights. Chill the hot summer air with the air conditioning. Talk around the world with the communication systems. Witness moving paintings and high fidelity talking from the seatback entertainment. Tickle our time traveler’s nose with a refreshing Coca Cola and squeeze of lime. Flushing toilets probably existed 300 years ago but would the average person have seen one? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/57 "2023-05-16T22:34:59Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Bringing back almost anybody from a hundred or more years ago would be like spending your days with an intolerant/racist/xenophobic/sexist/homophobic/superstitious /unhygienic/backwards uncle. But that’s what would make it fun to watch their head explode when confronted with the modern world. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/58 "2023-05-16T22:37:54Z")
I’d like to bring back Shakespeare to see how his plays are performed today — including on film! Of course, I’d have to ask if he did write them (I’m on the side of “he did”). ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/59 "2023-05-17T05:29:37Z")
Not something I’ve thought about before, but I did just see a Facebook meme to ‘Make Orwell Fiction Again.’ ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113/60 "2023-05-17T07:08:11Z")
I’d love to take Henry VIII to the present. Given how tyrannical he got during the course of his life and how badly he treated his wives, I’d love to see the culture shock he’d have when made to realize that today, the king cannot arbitrarily accuse someone of treason and have their head cut off, that women are equal to men, and that several women including two of his own daughters have sat on the throne since he died. I’d love to see the look of disbelief on his face when he realized that there are women in the police and the military, that men can no longer beat their wives, and that women no longer go around in floor-length skirts, nor do they cover their hair after marriage with and with hoods and veils like they did in his time, but that they often even wear short shorts and halter tops in public and no one bats an eye. OTOH, he’d probably be impressed by the fact that, thanks to him, England now has its own state church. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-bring-back-from-history-to-show-the-modern-world-to/984113.md?page=4)