Greatest man i human history?

[Camacha]

That is also very true. Then again, with Newton, he paved the way for us to make a lot of things that destroy the environment. So, there is that.

Pretty much any invention ever has been abused and employed to hurt or kill others, so that can hardly be used against someone or something.

[lajoswinkler]

2. Wernher Von Braun. He spearheaded space exploration efforts in the early years of NASA. Many believe without him, the United States would've either never reached the moon or have delayed its first landing by a massive difference in time from the original 1969 landing date.

The humanity would reach the Moon sooner or later because plenty of people were working on reactive engines. There's no need to put a war criminal in the list of greatest people ever.

[NASAFanboy]

The humanity would reach the Moon sooner or later because plenty of people were working on reactive engines. There's no need to put a war criminal in the list of greatest people ever.

Whether or not he was a war criminal is up to your opinion. Many at NASA say that his contribution to the Apollo program was invaluable, and his expertise and way of dealing with the public also helped to greatly sell the Apollo program. Von Braun also published many books about rocketry, and worked with aerospace companies before his death.

Von Braun had no choice regarding slave labor (And depending on accounts, he either tried to stop it or tried to improve conditions) and he needed to accept the SS rank or else he would not have been able to continue his research. If I was in his position, I would've done the same thing - and since many at the time did not know about the atrocities committed, I believe many of you would also have accepted it reluctantly.

There is a reason why Von Braun is still highly revered in space and rocketry communities. Most of this is opinion anyways - and the point is, I admire Von Braun. I know about his past, but his achievements are still something to be marveled at.

Edited September 29, 2014 by NASAFanboy

[technicalfool]

Arguing over Von Braun's status is getting into political arguments which are not allowed on these forums.

Please keep on topic.

[EdFred]

I wouldn't put anyone from any space program on the list of greatest people. When I think greatest, I think the person has to have been a huge influence on the betterment of humanity. No one in any space program has done that in any way, shape, or form. We went to space, big deal. How did that really help humanity, other than giving the US and/or USSR bragging rights?

Sacrilegious to say something like that here, I know. But really. Greatest person, ever, in the history of the world? No one in any space program comes even close.

[astropapi1]

Dude you don't know who marie curie is? She won the Nobel prize... Twice. Her research in radioactivity broke ground on everything we know today.

Seriously, go wash your mouth with soap. Curie is one of the great ones, the fact that she won two Noble prizes in two separate fields of research should be an indication that we are not talking about a mere mortal.

You remark tells us more about you than about Curie

Looks like I've got some reading to do...

[Godot]

I wouldn't put anyone from any space program on the list of greatest people. When I think greatest, I think the person has to have been a huge influence on the betterment of humanity. No one in any space program has done that in any way, shape, or form. We went to space, big deal. How did that really help humanity, other than giving the US and/or USSR bragging rights?

Sacrilegious to say something like that here, I know. But really. Greatest person, ever, in the history of the world? No one in any space program comes even close.

I definitely agree.

Also when it comes to the great things a person has done for the soviet or american space program, I would put the actual astronauts last.

The people who contributed most to a nations space program aren´t those who get the media coverage, fame (and money from interviews/articles), but rather the numerous unknown engineers, mathematicans, astrophysicists, who turned the rockets from a theoretical concept into reality.

[Javster]

I don't think the greatest person in history would be an astronaut. Even though they were the best of the best highly skilled test pilots, they were part of a team and they were interchangeable and part of the effort of a nation. If it hadn't been Gagarin or Armstrong, it would have been another astronaut. The engineers and scientists behind them, although less famous, played a bigger role in the events than the actual astronauts.

The most important man in history would be someone who changed the destiny of Humanity on his own. I would say it's the Homo Sapiens who one day discovered how to make fire. Unfortunately, his name didn't make it to posterity.

Relative to the ground team, especially in early flights, astronauts just had to survive the flight, not much actual flying.

[SuccessPastaTime]

Honestly, Tesla would be my first pick.

Tesla or Einstein for me!

[Elthy]

Maybe its the one who safed the most lives? Someone like Stanislav Petrov or other guys who also preventet a 3rd World War?

I think there is no "greatest person" since most stuff was done by many people (best example: everything in space) and there were just some faces who were popular...

[Kryten]

Roger Bacon. Invented science, 'nuff said.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Kryten

[Capt.Joseph Kerbertson]

Teddy Roosevelt. Why? Conservationist. He's the reason we still have Bison in the US, the reason we can enjoy National Forests. Plus, Panama Canal helped make the world a smaller place.

Rene Descartes. Father of modern Philosophy. We gave us the analytical method.

Henry Ford. While he didn't invent the automobile (sorry fellow Americans) he did modernize how they were made. Mass production. You could get one of his model T's in any color you wanted... as long as it was black.

Honorable mention:

Alexander The Great. One of the most powerful men in early history. By age 32, he held territory over nearly the entire (known) western world. While he is known for his greatness, he was also a d-bag. He killed anyone that threatened his rule, would re-invade cities he already held and razed an entire town in memory of the loss of his best friend.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Capt.Joseph Kerbertson
Panama Canal is not the Suez Canal...

[mythbusters844]

I would pick:

1. Leonardo da Vinci

2. Albert Einstein

3. Stephen Hawking

4. Carl Sagan

5. Sergei Korolev

6. Wernher von Braun

7. Felipe Falanghe

Ignoring all religious people of course in order to not start an argument .

[razark]

Teddy Roosevelt. Why? ... Suez Canal helped make the world a smaller place.

That's a funny way to spell Panama.

By the way, whoever invented fire is disqualified. If no one recorded the story, it's not history.

[Flymetothemun]

My own personal top 5:

1. Whoever Discovered Fire

2. Whoever Invented the Wheel

3. Diogenes of Sinope

4. Marcus Aurelius

5. Richard Feynman

[lajoswinkler]

Aristotle, because of the sheer magnitude of his work, which was just... insanely huge and diverse even by today's standards. He was very wrong at times, and was a prick, but the work he has done dwarfs that.

[Capt.Joseph Kerbertson]

That's a funny way to spell Panama.

By the way, whoever invented fire is disqualified. If no one recorded the story, it's not history.

Grrrr. yeah, Panama Canal. Suez is Egypt.

[rtxoff]

Johann Sebastian Bach

because someone composing one of the most important classical music pieces was not mentioned yet.

Edit: Here's another one a modern version of Toccata which i enjoy very much.

Edited September 30, 2014 by gpisic

[RobotsAndSpaceships]

Jebediah Kerm- I mean, uuuuh...

[swiftgates24]

1. Guy who made fire.

2. Guy who made the wheel.

3. Guy who invented language.

[Dispatcher]

The "greats" have stood on the shoulders of giants, so to speak, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.