Hard question for history buffs

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Hard question for history buffs

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:10:40 PM EDT

My wife was asked in her class studies to compare someone in the last 100 years to Benjamin Franklin. Remember, Ben was a printer, statesman, legislator, inventor, and bald ..

I was thinking Howard Hughes or Henry Ford

What say the brilliant minds of ARFCOM?

Who in the last 100 years can compete with the accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin?

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:11:32 PM EDT

[#1]

Hiram Maxim

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:14:05 PM EDT

[#2]

Edison, Marconi, Alexander Graham Bell, and Henry Ford.

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:14:12 PM EDT

[#3]

If they don't have to be American-Winston Churchill.

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:14:16 PM EDT

[#4]

Hitler was bad at all those things, but he did them.

Probably a good way to get an "F".

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:15:07 PM EDT

[#5]

Albert Einstein

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:16:00 PM EDT

[#6]

Henry J. Kaiser?

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:16:54 PM EDT

[#7]

Mikhail Timoveeich Kalashnikov, He was an inventor.

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:17:43 PM EDT

[#8]

Donald Rumsfeld

Bio:www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld.html

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:19:09 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Donald Rumsfeld

Bio:www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld.html

Hehehe that's almost as bad as Hitler.

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:20:20 PM EDT

[#10]

Here's a few lesser known but still interesting luminaries.

1. Alan Neuharth (started USA Today among other pubs) not a pol but an interesting character

2. John Kerry ( The Nebraska Kerry not the Massachusets guy) now a University President

3. Leo Thorsness ( MOH winner and Congressman from SD)

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:20:44 PM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Hitler was bad at all those things, but he did them.

Probably a good way to get an "F".

Good point. He was actually very good at those things, among others, until he lost his mind.

If Hitler had died around 1939, he would have gone down in history as a great man.

That could be a fascinating comparison, if the teacher is open-minded enough to read it without pre-judging.

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:32:08 PM EDT

[#12]

Jacques Cousteau. My 2c. Stay safe

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:36:30 PM EDT

[#13]

Charles Franklin Kettering

Posted: 10/3/2005 6:44:20 PM EDT

[#14]

Richard Buckminster Fuller

-OR-

http://www.bfi.org/

Posted: 10/3/2005 7:01:30 PM EDT

[#15]

John Moses Browning

Teddy Roosevelt

Posted: 10/3/2005 7:04:48 PM EDT

[#16]

... For me, I'd have to say Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:35:40 PM EDT

[#17]

It's that 100 year deadline that makes it so difficult.

Thinking outside the box, here's a diverse group in no particular order:

Ronald W Reagan
Wm Randolph Hearst
Ted Nugent
Larry Flynt
Ron Popiel
John D Rockefeller
Pierre Omidyar (eBay)
Joe Kennedy
George W Carver
David Filo/Jerry Yang (yahoo)
Eugene Stoner
Ted Turner
H Ross Perot
Lech Walesa
George C Marshall

Some of the comparisons won't be very flattering to these folks...

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:45:54 PM EDT

[#18]

Non americans:
Richard Branson
Rupert Murdoch

American:
Sam Walton

Posted: 10/3/2005 8:54:08 PM EDT

[#19]

I think Henry Ford or Thomas Edison would be a fair comparison - although neither were really statesmen. Its hard to compare to Franklin. Big shoes to fill.

Patty

*ETA* Maybe Roosevelt [TR]

Posted: 10/3/2005 9:15:39 PM EDT

[#20]

Don't think you can top Franklin. Half the bitches in France wanted to fuck him, and he was, like, 75 years old and shit.

Pimpin' LARGE, yo!

Posted: 10/3/2005 11:17:54 PM EDT

[#21]

She went with Henry Ford. He tried to be a Senator in 1918, but didn't make it.

Little history on old Hank...

Built and drove race cars early in his career to demonstrate that his engineering designs produced reliable vehicles

Financed a pacifist expedition to Europe during WWI (He was a wuss!)

Adopted a paternalistic policy to reform his workers' lives both at home and at work

Was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate in 1918 (And a loser)

Owned a controversial newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, that published anti-Jewish articles which offended many and tarnished his image (And an anti-semite)

Promoted the early use of aviation technology

Built Village Industries, small factories in rural Michigan, where people could work and farm during different seasons, thereby bridging the urban and rural experience

Sought ways to use agricultural products in industrial production, including soybean-based plastic automobile components such as this experimental automobile trunk

Was one of the nation's foremost opponents of labor unions in the 1930s and was the last automobile manufacturer to unionize his work force

Mobilized his factories for the war effort and produced bombers, Jeeps, and tanks for World War II (redeemed himself from WWI, but he was making serious money by this time)

Established schools in several areas of the country that provided educational experiences based on traditional one room school techniques, modern teaching methods, and "learning through doing"

Established an indoor/outdoor museum--The Henry Ford--to preserve historical items that illustrated the American experience and American ingenuity

Not as great as Ben Franklin, but hard to beat.

Posted: 10/3/2005 11:29:19 PM EDT

[#22]

Bill Gates

Posted: 10/3/2005 11:36:06 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Bill Gates

Good inventor and businessman, but I don't see him going down in history as a legislator, statesman, author, or pimpin LARGE yo!

Posted: 10/4/2005 12:57:05 AM EDT

[#24]

Nikola Tesla

Posted: 10/4/2005 9:59:02 AM EDT

[#25]

I still like Richard Branson for a choice.
Virgin Airlines
Virgin Records (stores and record label)
Virgin Mobile (cell phones)

Guy is a huge adventurer, hot air balloonist, pilot, multi billionaire, friend to numerous celebs and politicians, and worldwide playboy

and as far as politics:

He was feted by the Conservative government in the 1980s and was briefly given the post of "litter tsar" by Margaret Thatcher, charged with "keeping Britain tidy". He was again seen as close to the government when the Labour Party came to power in 1997. In 2005 he declared that there were only negligible differences between the two main parties on economic matters. He reputedly considered running for Mayor of London in 2004, but decided not to. Branson has described himself as a libertarian.

Posted: 10/4/2005 10:18:45 AM EDT

[#26]

Last 100 years? There aren't many true Renaissance men anymore. Only one I can think of is...

7 Mary 4 himself.

He rollerskated, ice skated, drag raced, parasailed, skydived, golfed, played volleyball and football, archery, basketball, equestrian competition, disco dancing, urban cowboy and even had alien encounters. His shining moment was singing "Celebration" to punk rockers and converting them to disco.

Posted: 10/4/2005 12:53:52 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Bill Gates

Good inventor and businessman, but I don't see him going down in history as a legislator, statesman, author, or pimpin LARGE yo!

He ain't dead yet.

Posted: 10/4/2005 1:07:49 PM EDT

[#28]

IMO there is no one in the last 200+ years that has a comparable list of accomplishment to Franklins. Hell there are only a handful in the history of mankind.

Posted: 10/4/2005 1:08:47 PM EDT

[#29]

Theodore Roosevelt.

Naturalist, hunter, established the National Park System, youngest person ever to be President, war hero, CMH winner, shooter, boxer, badass (went blind in one eye from boxing/sparrig with a wife's relative-never mentioned it to the guy cause he didn't want him to feel bad), Harvard Grad (the first formal education he got was AT Harvard), published 35 books, won the Nobel Peace Prize, outdoorsman, rancher (not a good one), Assistant Secretary of the Navy, New York police Commissioner, successfuly ran SECOND in a presidential race only 90 days after founding an independant party, gave a campaign speech AFTER being shot by a lunitic assasin, first president to ride in an airplane.

Need I say more?

Posted: 10/4/2005 3:41:18 PM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
Theodore Roosevelt.

Naturalist, hunter, established the National Park System, youngest person ever to be President, war hero, CMH winner, shooter, boxer, badass (went blind in one eye from boxing/sparrig with a wife's relative-never mentioned it to the guy cause he didn't want him to feel bad), Harvard Grad (the first formal education he got was AT Harvard), published 35 books, won the Nobel Peace Prize, outdoorsman, rancher (not a good one), Assistant Secretary of the Navy, New York police Commissioner, successfuly ran SECOND in a presidential race only 90 days after founding an independant party, gave a campaign speech AFTER being shot by a lunitic assasin, first president to ride in an airplane.

Need I say more?

BULLY!

After reading his bio, I think you're right. I told my wife and she wants to keep Henry Ford because she already wrote what she needed to write about him... Plus, she doesn't listen to me anyway. Anything I say is irrelivant..You married guys know what I'm talking about..

Posted: 10/4/2005 3:44:57 PM EDT

[#31]

Ford.

Go to the Henry Ford Museum near Deeeeeetroit. Good stuff.

Posted: 10/4/2005 3:45:45 PM EDT

[#32]

Franklin made a lot of good stuff. Hell, without him I couldn't see(well).

Ben Franklin developed the bi-focal lens(which evolved into eyeglasses.)

Posted: 10/4/2005 4:00:24 PM EDT

[#33]

-Ronald Reagan - entertainer, statesman, governor, POTUS (twice)

-Teddy Roosevelt - been posted previously: adventurer, soldier, statesman, POTUS, etc.

-George Gordon Liddy - FBI agent, treasury agent, campaign manager/advisor to POTUS, convicted felon, talkshow host, author

just three that come to mind. speaking of minds, i think it is certainly true that there was a collection of genius in those that came to be called the Founding Fathers at that point in history that has been unequaled since in our country. probably anywhere else for that matter.

better be thankful for them and educate ourselves about their struggles, beliefs and values. as old Ben Franklin said "We have given you a Republic....if you can keep it!"

Posted: 10/4/2005 4:05:40 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
It's that 100 year deadline that makes it so difficult.

Thinking outside the box, here's a diverse group in no particular order:

Ronald W Reagan
Wm Randolph Hearst
Ted Nugent
Larry Flynt
Ron Popiel
John D Rockefeller
Pierre Omidyar (eBay)
Joe Kennedy
George W Carver
David Filo/Jerry Yang (yahoo)
Eugene Stoner
Ted Turner
H Ross Perot
Lech Walesa
George C Marshall

Some of the comparisons won't be very flattering to these folks...

DOOOD!!!!!! are U back??????????????????????????????

Posted: 10/4/2005 4:10:16 PM EDT

[#35]

It's a lot easier to back from Franklin to find someone like him than going forward. Machivelli, Da Vinci, Archimedes, Francis Bacon, John Dee.

Posted: 10/4/2005 4:19:01 PM EDT

[#36]

Scientists and inventors are too smart to get into politics these days.

Posted: 10/4/2005 4:32:29 PM EDT

[#37]

Franklin is impossible to match up to. He probably did more than any other single person in history that led to the way the world is today. He invented the bi-focals, the Franklin stove, the printing press and was the first user of a small thing called elecrticity. Was one of the founding fathers of the biggest superpower in the world right now. I am sure that I am missing a lot, but I can't see anyone that could beat him. There were plenty of other people that are very note worthy however.

Posted: 10/4/2005 11:00:16 PM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:
Franklin is impossible to match up to. He probably did more than any other single person in history that led to the way the world is today. He invented the bi-focals, the Franklin stove, the printing press and was the first user of a small thing called elecrticity. Was one of the founding fathers of the biggest superpower in the world right now. I am sure that I am missing a lot, but I can't see anyone that could beat him. There were plenty of other people that are very note worthy however.

Organised the first Fire Department
Started the first public library in the U.S.