The Snub List

Who got left out of our original 64?
Post Comments with your nominees and
we'll get them in the poll.
Franklin Roosevelt
John Knox
Winston Churchill
Ronald Reagan
Hannible
Walt Disney
Machiavelli
Hammurabi
Plato
Aristotle
Malcolm X
Oprah Winfrey
Hank Aaron
Shakespeare
Mother Theresa
Ben Franklin
Joan of Arc
Euclid
Descartes
Laozi
Louis Leakey
Socrates
Lief Erikson
Babe Ruth
Barnum Brown
Hellen Keller
Elvis
Tiger Woods
Ray Charles
Post your comment now.
Cameron Peltz - 26/04/2008 21:27
I was deciding between Machiavelli, Hammurabi, Plato, and Aristotle. I first realized that although Machiavelli depicts the ultimate despot, (or prince) he is not very influential. He merely gives a philosophy as to why one should be authoritarian, but does not lay down a set of instructions on how to run the best government or anything. Later rulers certainly take what he says to heart, but that kind of thinking: "stay in power by nay means necessary" is kinda common sense! Next came Hammurabi. Although he does have one of the oldest code of laws in the world, it is by no means responsible for all others. His concept of a punishment not exceeding the crime may have been revolutionary, but all governments eventually developed their own sets of laws irrespectively from this one as a necessary and inevitable way to manage and order society. Plato was a tough choice to turn down. He (and his recordings of Socrates, which may be largely fictional) completely revolutionized higher thinking. It was the first step out of mysticism and towards a more logical system for further advancement. His countless (because so many of them were lost to the ages) documents were not only philosophical, but dealt with nearly every subject one could possibly write about! Not only was he influential in his day and afterwards, but he is the major pretext that Renaissance thought is based on. However, none of these men can compare with Aristotle's influence on the world. Like Plato, the breadth, depth, and scope of his works are equally impressive. The major difference is however that while Plato may have been an influence to the early days of the Renaissance, ideals of romanticism developed in the later Middle ages became a much larger influence during that time. Aristotle had continued to be the most widely accepted doctrine for most realms of science throughout the Middle Ages (more than a millennium since Aristotle's time) until Newton. If the history of science were to be placed in paradigms it might relate to the early mysticism of the pre-Socratics, Aristotle, Newton and fellow Enlightenment thinkers, and the slew of scientists in the earlier half of the 20th Century. Aristotle is the only one to hold a singular spot as responsible for a major era and model of conducting progress in fields of higher learning.
Soccer Rox - 23/04/2008 17:36
If you're going to insist on puttin sports people on...then what about David Beckham?
Count Chocula - 23/04/2008 13:30
How is Walt Diseny so high on the list? He didn't influence as many people as someone like Aristotle, who all of science is based off of up until the time of Newton, when all that Diseny did was come up with a few new ways to make a cartoon. Hammurabi should also be up higher because he created and published, so the people could readily see, his laws, "Eye for an Eye, etc." While FDR did get the country out of the Great Depression, he influenced a smaller sphere of people than Aristotle. Aristotle should be the ultiment snub, behind the STYX.
megan - 23/04/2008 09:30
why are people of which have the great at the end of their name normally evil??
plus, tiger woods, elvis, oprah, and walt disney had basically no part as an influence!!!!!
Connie - 22/04/2008 10:12
I find this whole contest very interesting. How ethnocentric we are? This has definitely not been an objective assessment. I still think that Hammurabi or Moses probably should be in these finals. After all, they are responsible for codifying the laws that maybe 66% of the world follow today. While this has been an interesting exercise - my AP world students have followed it with interest, I think that we have missed a whole segment of the world.
kit - 22/04/2008 01:16
I chose Ben Franklin, [Founding Father, author, inventor, scientist, politician, historian, book-lover, etc.] such a great man! Roosevelt politics changed the course of history, U.S. particularly, but in the negative - away from the free Republic to the socialistic anything's ok nightmare we have today -- in only 60 yrs! I too think Disney was a great change agent who'll be remembered, but he's too recent as well.
Peace - 21/04/2008 20:02
really people Roosevelt what the heck is up with you people shakespear was defiantly more influential!
elvis - 21/04/2008 10:39
elvis invented rock n' roll. he is awsome. elvis rules. yah
Rich - 19/04/2008 13:31
The fact that Disney is considered a bigger snub than Shakespeare is a sad testament to our times and culture.
On a side note, where's Jack Kerouac? He is the basis for an entire counterculture, which is more than can be said for most of the individuals on the list.
:) - 17/04/2008 20:33
id have to disagree with 'Abi'...Prince Fielder is the greatest. So him and Ryan Braun should be nominated!
BREWERS!
lucky - 15/04/2008 09:30
George W. Bush seriously
Abi - 15/04/2008 09:20
Come on guys?! I said to put Derek Jeter! He's the awesomest baseball player of today!! (So is A-Rod) Derek Jeter and A-Rod need to be put on the list. Come on guys! YANKEES!!!
Trex3456 - 15/04/2008 09:14
Barnum Brown should be winning! He discovereed T.Rex!!! Without him the world's most famous dinosaur wouldn't be known.
TMP - 14/04/2008 19:18
it's kinda sad seeing walt disney ahead of churchill and everyone on this list and some of these people don't even diserve to be on the list alls they are are celeberties they've done nothing for the world but entertain such as Oprah what has she done given her audience a car woo i'd rather have chruchill leading Britian in WWII than having Oprah trying to stop the Unstoppable (at the time) German army giving them free stuff
ashley vancil - 14/04/2008 15:00
walt disney is magical !!!!!!

*even more then unicorns!
Cam - 14/04/2008 14:59
bruce lee or chuck noris should be on the snubs list because of their karate skills
Eddie Waller - 14/04/2008 12:46
How about some more bad guys? Maybe you could put together a tourney for dictators, despots and generally bad people that were influential.

Manson, Rasputin, Omar Khadafi (?), Sadam H., Ossama B., P. Pilot, Benedict Arnold, Lee H. Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan (?), Vlad Tepes, Kim Jong Ill. etc...
Kev - 13/04/2008 10:53
oh, thanks George
AMY!!!!! - 11/04/2008 17:17
i think that J.K. Rowling should be on this list. She is one of the most influencial writers of our time. She influences thousands of kids to read and actually enjoy it.
RC - 11/04/2008 14:25
i think miyavi or someone else should be included
RC07 - 10/04/2008 23:29
It's a little sad to me that Walt Disney is beating all these people. Other than cartoons and amusement parks, what did he do? Churchill, for instance, had a much greater impact.
ty - 10/04/2008 14:27
this was a great idea props 2 whoever created it
Connie Hudgeons - 10/04/2008 10:10
Thanks, George, for doing this. We used this in our AP World History classes. It's sparked some really great discussions about influence and specificly, the point of views that support positions! Hope you do it again!!!
George Shriey - 09/04/2008 01:09
For any of you that have come to this page without participating in the entire tournament, a couple of notes:

1. This list is made up of voter's suggestions. That's why the likes of Tiger Woods is on the list.
2. Latin America was represented by Fidel Castro and Simon Bolivar.
3. Ghengis Khan was on the list, but he got knocked out in Round 1 by Alexander the Great.

Thanks for joining!
Kev - 08/04/2008 22:13
Where's Ghengis Khan? He started an empire that spread out through all of Asia! It lasted more than 800 years! It conquered over half the known world! Its effects are still being felt in China today. Warfare was revolutionized by the Mongols. Who put all the wannabes ontheir like Tiger Woods?
Kyra - 08/04/2008 19:53
Latin American history has been almost completely ignored! Not that anyone would vote for any Latin American figures, since everyone's voting primarily for who they know more about, or who influenced the West more (thanks to the standard Eurocentric education we recieve in high school) But I think Che Guevara and Augusto Pinochet deserved a chance.
dan ny2 - 08/04/2008 12:08
What about Danny Gerhard he has put many many many years of research into becoming a neurosurgeon at the age of 15. He is also going to be the youngest and most talented neurosurgeon
mel - 08/04/2008 11:01
what did tiger woods do to get on the list. all he did was play a sport a thats nothing to get on the list!!! put some one on here that did something great
4always - 08/04/2008 11:00
brett favre... hes the best
becca - 08/04/2008 10:58
why is tiger woods on here???? come on golf isn't even a real sport, its more like a hobby!!
Mr. Money-Bags - 08/04/2008 10:58
$$Disney made the greatest Movies of all time: Lion King, Jungle Book, Bambi, and ect!!$$
alysia - 08/04/2008 10:53
Okay.... Sure Walt Disney is a cool guy and yeah he made some good movies, but honestly how much have those movies affected your life? If you didn't have thousands of cartoons to watch would you really be that different? I don't htink so. He has influenced certain people, but we are talking about the entire world here. He has not had that much influence, I don't care how much you like him.
danny - 06/04/2008 13:44
There are plenty of people that you could say got snubbed from the 64, as there has to be more than 64 people who influenced the worlds evolution. In the modern age its childish but think of how many movies have been created by walt disney? Think of what you would be like without them.
Freelancer - 05/04/2008 12:52
It's pathetic that Oprah stands higher on the list than great philosophers and people like Mother Theresa. This is how obsesssed ou society is with fame. Get real people...
Elle - 04/04/2008 14:29
Are you blind! Ray Charles deserves to be on the list!!!
HP Rocks!!
washington - 04/04/2008 10:51
Can you explain how Franklin "invented" something that naturally exists [electricity]?
c ttam - 03/04/2008 20:23
ben franklin did discover electricity
Trex3456 - 03/04/2008 09:34
Sebastian Cerdeira has put many years of reaserch into dinosaurs. He is AWESOME!!! He is gonna clone a T-Rex from DNA!!!!
trav - 03/04/2008 01:53
ts'ai lun invented paper
Pete - 02/04/2008 13:04
FDR was instrumental in making the US a world power (for good or bad) and helped end WWII and the Great Depression.
trav - 01/04/2008 22:34
They should go with the top 64 people out of Michael Hart's book "The 100."
??? - 01/04/2008 20:49
Chuck Norris...enough said.
kathy - 01/04/2008 13:14
Bringing the Cold War to an end is a BIG deal!!!
4always - 01/04/2008 11:33
brett favre should be on here he set every quarterback record and made millions of kids start to play football in hopes of one day being as good as him
becca - 01/04/2008 11:25
i think that if you are going to snub someone, you should snub someone worth it. walt disney and others (oprah, tiger, ray charles) do not deserve a spot on the top 64 or even the snub list. they have only been somewhat influential throughout their lives. i am not going to remember ray charles nor will my kids. he doesn't deserve the honor, unlike many men and women before him. who i have been hearing about since being taught in school. i.e. ben franklin, and franklin roosevelt
firebolt218 - 31/03/2008 19:07
ronald regan yeah
Emily G - 31/03/2008 17:44
I seriously think that Mother Theresa should be higher up. I mean, she made one of the biggest efforts to bring world peace and help those in need. She is the epitomy of what we should be doing now.
my name is earl - 31/03/2008 12:20
the biggest snub is dr doolittle he really impacted the world because he inspired really little kids to believe
zeus - 31/03/2008 12:19
where am i i was the king of all the greek gods my son was hercules where is hercules my wife was hera queen of the gods my brother was hades i was the god of 24 other godsj
hunter - 31/03/2008 12:12
disney because he created a place where millions of people can have fun