Top 10 Most Influential People of All Time

Leaders and founders of charismatic movements have a comparative advantage on the scale of influence compared to scientists, politicians, or literary philosophers. The actions and motivations of later individuals can more directly be traced back to the actions and ideas of leaders who are themselves outspoken and charismatic. Thus, the charismatic leaders' influence becomes more readily apparent and well-established.

It's no coincidence that in the current top five are the founders of three of the world's major religions: Jesus (1), Mohammed (2), Buddha (4). Mahatma Gandhi (3) and Adolf Hitler (5) likewise were founders of charismatic movements, the former for peace and the latter for war.

Religion, especially, often serves as a uniquely strong motivating force for a person's actions. Given that 2 out of every 7 people alive today profess Christian faith, and given that Christianity has made significant inroads on every inhabited continent, it is entirely fair to say that the net impact of Jesus Christ has been greater than that of every other person throughout history.

He's also my Lord and Savior, so of course, I voted for him in this ridiculous poll.

He was the man of true justice. He offered peace to those who deserved it and respected peace. He stood for law and order, not like some silly baba or pandit who merely utters a few words about peace but doesn't actually guide or show the direction to attain peace in this world and the hereafter. My fellow Christians don't realize that the founder of Christianity is not Jesus. It's St. Paul. No matter how much I love Jesus, the son of Mary (peace be upon him), he can't be the most influential person because he doesn't meet the requirements.

Prophet Muhammad was a prophet of peace and love to the whole world. His teachings have influenced billions around the world. Moreover, Prophet Muhammad told his people that his message is universal. He believed in peace and unity and spread his message using words. However, people in our modern day are interpreting it the wrong way. They are translating the holy book the way they want, essentially taking what they want and leaving what they don't need. Prophet Muhammad sought forgiveness for those who believed in him and those who didn't. He treated everyone equally. He gave his servant clothes from his own wardrobe, let him eat from the same plate he ate from, and allowed him to sleep on the same mattress he slept on.

In conclusion, I would like to ask the readers to acknowledge that not everyone who says they are Muslim represents Islam. For example, ISIS claims to represent it but actually does the opposite. Fellow readers, don't judge the whole religion and prophet based on what a few misguided individuals have done. Thank you, guys. May God (Allah) bless you. Peace out and enjoy life at its simplest.

He lived what he taught. What more is there to say? His opponents admired him silently. He inspired millions to march for a common cause. He infused courage and pride into Indian women by leading some of the most important campaigns of the Indian independence movement. Throughout his life, he advocated for Hindu-Muslim unity and spoke against societal ills in India, such as untouchability. His patience, courage, and ideas behind non-violence are simply admirable.

He is the most remembered and respected personality in the world today. The reservations were the only bad thing he did. But still, he inspired many. I hope he inspires you as well. Just take a look at his good deeds. Even if people remember some bad things, they often don't try to understand the reasons behind them, for example, the India-Pakistan partition crisis.

A man who believed in truth. According to him, only truth prevails. With this statement, he swayed masses into his wing. I think the Gandhi-Irwin pact was one of his greatest achievements. He has also influenced Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, and many others. He must be regarded as the savior of the world.

Siddhartha left all of his possessions, his pampered life, his food, and even his family to gain true knowledge of suffering and to find enlightenment. I am an anthropologist specializing in religion. The Buddha has influenced many people in China, Tibet, India, Japan, and so on. This once-rich, famous prince gave up everything he had, becoming a man of the land, and achieved divinity. His followers even engaged in meditation with Jesus himself.

Praise be to Shakyamuni Buddha. If sources are to be believed, his teachings even influenced Jesus Christ. So I believe (although unknown to most) that he is the most positively influential person in history. He was certainly the father of human rights. His teachings were the first to regard all sentient beings as equals. There would have been no Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela if the Buddha had not set the wheel of compassion and love in motion all those years ago.

The greatest man ever. Fools voted for religion. Gandhi is among the most influential people, but he should not be above Einstein, the most influential person of all time.

We can say nothing about him. We are all fools before him. He is the greatest human ever. The world will never see his like again. He should have lived over 100 years. If that had happened, the world would have been even better. Thanks to him.

An influential man, I will certainly remember him. Not just because he shares my birthday, but also because he was a dreamer. Dreamers are hard to find these days.

Darwin came up with the theory of evolution, and I greatly admire him for it, considering he was a Christian. If it weren't for him, I might be a Christian, when I am strongly atheist. The pressure he was under was immense. He lived in a creationist world. His book, The Origin of Species, was ridiculed, yet he didn't keep his theory hidden for fear of this happening. He showed it to the world and changed the subject of science forever.

Science has answers to many questions about the universe, and Charles Darwin demonstrated this. While we may not yet have answers to everything, we will in the future. Charles Darwin represented that future for the millions of humans who lived before his time and developed his theory. May science continue to emphasize his work.

Religion is often seen as an excuse for why we are here, as anyone could have made it up. In science, there is proof. In religion, there is myth. The fact remains that proof is infinitely greater than myth.

He was the most influential American ever. I always imitate him when speaking in public. I am a victim of racism and will always support the civil rights movement. He was the leader of America. If he had been born some years later, I think he would have replaced Obama.

Promoted equality between all people and things. Without him, we may still be stuck with the clouded ideas of "justice" and "fairness" we once had.

I love MLK, but I find it very sad that he was assassinated. Such a loving and caring man who stood up for so many people. He should have at least died peacefully at an old age instead of being murdered by some thug. R.I.P. MLK, gone but never forgotten.

Other than Jesus Christ, Paul is my favorite person in the Bible. He went through so much yet didn't complain at all. He pointed to Christ in every situation. In my opinion, he was the most influential Apostle. The books in the Bible that he wrote provide not only comfort for many but also strength for those who are crumbling under struggles and pressure. Martin Luther looked to the Apostle Paul as one of his inspirations. So, how did Martin Luther rank above the Apostle Paul? Even though they all lived for the glory of Jesus Christ, I know for a fact that the Apostle Paul is more influential than Martin Luther. If Martin Luther were alive, he'd agree too.

I am not sure how Martin Luther ranks above the Apostle Paul, as it was the Book of Romans and the Book of Galatians that fueled Luther's Reformation. If it were not for Paul, Luther would never have been known. Additionally, Paul had a significant influence on the other Apostles and Peter, making Paul's impact greater than Peter's despite claims by the Pope. Let's not forget that Paul also served as Luke's mentor, making him the most influential person under Jesus. In the end, the Apostles, Christians, and Popes all live for the glory of Jesus Christ.

He's well-known for physics, but he also invented differential and integral calculus, developed color theory, studied the speed of sound, and was an astronomer who built the first reflecting telescope. He was arguably the single most important thinker in human history, contributing to numerous fields.

The whole world follows the laws and theories of Isaac Newton. I feel he should be number one, not because I don't love Jesus, but because Newton is followed by literally the whole world, while Jesus, on the other hand, has a smaller majority of the human population. Newton is the basis of all modern science. Even Einstein, at some point, had to apply Newton's principles.

Why is Isaac Newton not ranked higher? It's pretty sad that anyone would think a video game designer is more influential than Isaac Newton. Ranking Einstein ahead of Isaac Newton is like saying Sidney Crosby is a better hockey player than Wayne Gretzky. This list is flawed.

Are you joking? Is this just an American Idol site? Has there been any hack on this site to vote Hitler this far down? He wasn't any hero at all, for most people at least. He was an Austrian man who tried to conquer the world. In my eyes, he was a moron, but he changed history more than anybody else could. He is the worst individual of all time. So how could he be rated so low? He showed humanity its darker side. He served as a lesson, teaching us how not to be. If this isn't considered an impact, then what is? Should we remain ignorant and never learn from history? Hitler made us more aware of our humanity, and if he didn't, why are we still living?

The low ranking of Hitler shows a lack of understanding by people. Having Jesus at #1 alone makes humanity look uninformed, but not including Hitler in the top 10 really calls into question the intelligence of those who are voting. Is there bot activity involved? I mean, is this genuinely the consensus?

Hitler led us into one of the darkest hours in human history and remains one of the most influential figures. He changed cultural priorities like no one before him. To illustrate how ridiculous some of the names ranked above him are, let me list a few:
Michael Jordan, a basketball player, seriously?
Tupac Shakur, a hip-hop artist, really?
Walt Disney, a man who made famous cartoons, is still not as influential as Hitler.

Did someone with a large Twitter or Facebook following sway public opinion? It seems that people have forgotten what history is about. Politicians are usually the ones who have been, and will continue to be, the most influential in changing history. Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, and many others have had an impact on the world like no others. While Hitler may not have been the most brutal, he is the best known and has instigated the most change. In his era, Germany was the cultural center of the planet. After losing the war, many geniuses from Germany helped other countries gain scientific power. Despite his terrible actions, Hitler's influence surpasses that of any living person today and he should at least be in the top 10.

Without Constantine, there may be no discussion about the merits of Jesus Christ. Constantine helped lay the foundation for what is the modern Catholic Church and was instrumental in organizing its members to determine a uniform Christian doctrine at the First Council of Nicaea. Without this, the church would have fractured and most likely never would have gained the success it did. Whether good or bad, Constantine paved the way for converting the greatest nation the world had ever seen into the center for the Holy Roman Church.

He changed the course of history. Two of his major decisions - the foundation of Constantinople and his conversion to Christianity - had a profound impact on history. Our world would have been different without him, probably still in the Dark Ages. Besides, he was a great statesman and a superb military leader.

Although I don't agree with everything he did, he did make Christianity last throughout the Dark Ages despite the deaths of all the leaders of the church that Christ organized. I think that's pretty good, not to mention extremely influential.

Is this about Martin Luther, or Martin Luther King Jr.? Martin Luther is the Christian reformationist, and Martin Luther King Jr. is the campaigner for black rights in the USA. Considering the lack of 'King' after the name, it seems most people are ignorant of the original Martin Luther.

The original Martin Luther is probably the reason Martin Luther King Jr.'s parents named him Martin Luther, and probably also the reason his father was named Martin Luther as well (Martin Luther King Sr.).

For those of you who are confused, no, this is not about Martin Luther King Jr., the man who gave the "I Have a Dream" speech. Although he is very important and an inspiration to me and millions of others, Martin Luther was a monk and the creator of Lutheranism. He was born in Germany and lived from 1483 to 1546. Martin Luther was also a composer, theology professor, and priest, but he's mostly known as a monk.

This great man built a huge, box-like building in the middle of a desert that still stands today. Over a billion people face it to pray five times a day, every day, for all their lives. Need I say more? Great prophet of God. Peace be upon Abraham.

Without Abraham, there would be no Jesus. Jesus himself was Jewish, and he was the first to establish a monotheistic religion, setting an example for the rest of the world. He definitely should be higher.

The original monotheist, whose theological foundation has spread to the entire world through Christianity and Islam, should be much higher up.

What, Hitler at number 11? Seriously, people? I suppose the KKK would be on this list as well. Hitler is one of history's biggest idiots. Why? Because he refused to listen to a number of his greatest generals and instead turned his focus to genocide. He was the man who had the world within his grasp and pathetically lost it due to arrogance, racism, and poor tactics. There were planes that were designed to be the best fighter planes in the world, but he used them for bombing countries he had already half-conquered. Hitler was terrible.

While my number one pick would be Jesus, Gandhi, or King Jr., I have to pick Lincoln just because of how low he is on this list. I mean, seriously, people, wake up and realize the incredible significance Lincoln's administration had on the survival of the USA.

Are you serious? As a white Australian, I still rate him as the number one. This is the man who brought equality to everyone without consideration for himself. We would be so lucky to have a leader half his worth in this world again. Look at the list above. It's a list written by people with no vision or respect!

He is the King of Pop, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year. He is the greatest music artist of all time.

His musical genius and humble humanitarian work place him among the greats. It's not about what you do for a living, but what you've done for others that will matter in the end. Michael has helped so many people outside of his charity work. He's truly a role model and a hero. The way Michael faced betrayal and adversity while showing love and true class is why he is loved all across the globe and is truly one of the most influential individuals. Long live the King!

No one has had more impact on our society than Michael. Listen to his songs and his message. And consider all the money from his concert tours that he donated to help the poor. He was a great humanitarian and an inspiration to all.

Nelson Mandela is amazing! My family is African, and we had to leave Africa because of apartheid. Just as we left, he got out of prison. I'm so proud of my country now because of what he has done, and even today he brings great happiness to my family.

A selfless leader, modest, popular, and yet a down-to-earth global icon who paid most of his attention to the people he led. "Suffer little children," thus the Mandela Children's Fund came into being. He's one African who walked the talk.

He is the father of reconciliation in our country. He led the ANC post-apartheid and became the first black president. Over 100 heads of states attended his memorial service, which shows how influential and powerful he was, not only in South Africa but in the rest of the world.

A massive contributor to every field of human knowledge, he started from nearly nothing and ended up as the near-sole basis of all science for almost two thousand years. Possibly the only person in human history to have known everything there was to know in his time, he was a true polymath. His metaphysics still hold clear merit in the modern world, and much of how we see and separate the sciences is derived from him.

The basis of many scientific theories and philosophies comes from Aristotle. Along with his direct contribution to history as the teacher of Alexander the Great, he also served as an inspiration to other philosophers and scientists such as René Descartes.

He basically created the philosophy of the West. It would be madness not to add him. You hear me? MADNESS!

I am just going to say that this man spread democracy throughout Europe. If it wasn't for him, Europe would still be a continent ruled by absolute monarchy. Stop right there and just think about it: in his time, there was legitimately no other country besides the U.S. that was a democracy. This man also spread the idea of equality.

A French statesman and king of France, he was the most brilliant general of his time. He won a series of splendid victories against England, Russia, and Austria in 1805. However, he was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 and was exiled to St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

He was a political reformer and brought glory to France. Unlike Stalin, he did not kill his own people. He was well-educated and sought peace when he became an emperor, but his enemies regarded him as a traitor, which is why he fought against them.

Ben belongs in the top 10, easily.

Thanks to him, we have America. And how much has America given us? Well, they are one of the largest economies, one of the largest militaries, with huge influence over other countries.

He was a general of the US Army and unanimously elected president? How is that not important and influential?

The founder of quantum mechanics should definitely be number one, without any question of any kind.

He developed the foundation of our law system today.

Take care of my Baywatch PC.