The Most Influential People

If I had to judge who shaped and influenced the world today, I would come up with this list.

Jesus and Mohammed (for Religion)

I thought these both deserved centre stage because of the influence they have exerted on the world. Both are the figureheads of hugely populated religions. Not only have they influenced those of their own religion, but through organisations like the Spanish Inquisition and the Taliban which, through suicide bombings and torture have influenced many people in their own time and now.

 Charles Darwin (in terms of Science)

I chose Charles Darwin because a lot of what we commonly believe as obvious logic was based on his research and his findings. It is commonly accepted that we evolved from simpler organisms but before the Victorian era, no one thought that.

Adolf Hitler (to show that not all influence is good influence)

Without a doubt, Adolf Hitler was an extremely influential man, for better or for worse. He ordered systematic genocide, massacred innocents and started the Second World War. In terms of the world today, he has put a very clear image in our minds about what is right and what is wrong.

Martin Luther King Jr. (in terms of human rights)

Although there were many people working on human rights, I chose King because he is the most well-known. The concepts he said are now taken to be obvious and anything even slightly against them are highly frowned upon.

Cai Lun (in terms of daily use)

Here is one that is not well known at all. Cai Lun was a Chinese eunuch who is widely regarded as the creator of paper. This seemingly trivial invention is used in nearly every household in the world and is widely taken for granted.

The first living organism (in terms of life)

The first living organism would have to be one of the most influential people (or bacteria) in the history (or prehistory) of the world. Nearly every belief and outlook in the world has the idea of the first life on Earth. I think that whatever the first life was, it definitely influenced the whole world. Are very existence would be because of this simple cell organism (or person depending on belief).

If you have any ideas about what you would add or if you disagree with any of these, feel free to comment on this article and let us know.