The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History

Last updated

The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History
Covor of book (The 100 A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History).jpg
Cover of the 1992 edition
Author Michael H. Hart
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series
  • 1st Edition (1978)
  • 2nd Edition (1992)
Subject
  • Ranking
  • Biography
  • History
Published1978 (Hart Publishing company, New York) [1] [2]
Media typePrint
ISBN 9780806513508
OCLC 644066940

The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History is a 1978 book by the American author Michael H. Hart. Published by his father's publishing house, it was his first book and was reprinted in 1992 with revisions. It is a ranking of the 100 people who, according to Hart, most influenced human history. [3] [4] [5] [6] Unlike various other rankings at the time, Hart was not attempting to rank on "greatness" as a criterion, but rather whose actions most changed the course of human history.

Contents

Summary

The book consists of 100 entries as well as an appendix of Honorable Mentions. Each entry is a short biography of the person, followed by Hart's thoughts on how this person was influential and changed the course of human history. He gave additional credit for importance for people whose actions Hart felt were unusual, unlikely, or ahead of their time compared to a hypothesized course of history had this person not lived.

Founders and shapers of successful religions were among the most influential in Hart's view, as these shaped many people's lives quite strongly over a long period of time. The first person on Hart's list is the Islamic prophet Muhammad. [7] [8] Hart asserted that Muhammad was "supremely successful" in both the religious and secular realms, being responsible for both the foundations of Islam as well as the Early Muslim conquests uniting the Arabian Peninsula and eventually a wider caliphate after his death. Hart also believed that Muhammad played an unusually singular and personal role in the development of Islam. [9] [10] The development of Christianity, by contrast, has its influence split between Jesus's initial teachings and foundational work, and Paul the Apostle, who played a pivotal role in the early spread of Christianity as well as distinguishing its doctrines and practices from Judaism and the other Greek and Roman religions of the time period. [11] Gautama Buddha, Confucius, and Moses are all placed highly as well due to their role in establishing religions.

One of the most notable omissions was Abraham Lincoln, which Hart relegated to the "Honorary Mentions" in the appendix. Changes in the 1992 revision include the rankings of figures associated with Communism being lowered after the Revolutions of 1989, such as Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong, and the introduction of Mikhail Gorbachev. Hart took sides in the Shakespearean authorship issue and replaced William Shakespeare with Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford in the 1992 version. Hart also substituted Niels Bohr and Henri Becquerel with Ernest Rutherford. Henry Ford was promoted from the "Honorary Mentions" list, replacing Pablo Picasso. Finally, various rankings were re-ordered, although no one listed in the top ten changed their position. [3]

The book was first published in 1978 as imprint from "Hart Publishing Company". [1] [2] According to the Calgary Herald, at least 60,000 copies were sold. [12] The book has since been translated into many languages. [13]

Hart's Top 10 (from the 1992 edition)

RankNameTime frameImageOccupation
1 Muhammad c. 570–632 Dark vignette Al-Masjid AL-Nabawi Door800x600x300.jpg Spiritual & Political leader
2 Isaac Newton 1643–1727 GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg Scientist
3 Jesus 4 BC–33 AD StJohnsAshfield StainedGlass GoodShepherd Face.jpg Spiritual leader
4 Gautama Buddha 563–483 BC Buddha in Sarnath Museum (Dhammajak Mutra).jpg Spiritual leader
5 Confucius 551–479 BC Confucius the scholar.jpg Philosopher
6 Paul the Apostle 5–67 AD El Greco - Saint Paul head.jpg Christian apostle
7 Cai Lun 50–121 AD Cai-lun.jpg Inventor of paper
8 Johannes Gutenberg c. 1400–1468 Gutenberg.jpg Inventor of the printing press
9 Christopher Columbus 1451–1506 Christopher Columbus .PNG Explorer
10 Albert Einstein 1879–1955 Einstein 1921 portrait2.jpg Scientist

Reception

For placing Muhammad in first place of the list, the book received several controversial reviews from western critics, [25] but the book was widely welcomed and outburst with positive reviews in the Muslim world, and the book is often cited in the Muslim writers' book including Ayatollah Sayed Muhammad al-Shirazi, Ahmed Deedat etc. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] In 1988, the former contemporary Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak honored Michael Hart for placing Muhammad in first place. [31] Steven Skiena and Charles Ward writes in their book Who's Bigger?: Where Historical Figures Really Rank that The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History "is probably the best known ranking of historic figures by influence." [32]

Sequel

Hart wrote the 1999 follow-up A View from the Year 3000, [33] voiced in the perspective of a person from that future year and ranking the most influential people in history. Roughly half the entries are fictional people from 2000 to 3000, but the remainder are taken mostly from the 1992 ranking, with some sequence changes. [34] [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sufism</span> Body of mystical practice within Islam

Sufism, also known as Tasawwuf, is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, asceticism, and esotericism. It has been variously defined as "Islamic mysticism", "the mystical expression of Islamic faith", "the inward dimension of Islam", "the phenomenon of mysticism within Islam", the "main manifestation and the most important and central crystallization" of mystical practice in Islam, and "the interiorization and intensification of Islamic faith and practice".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad Ali</span> American boxer and activist (1942–2016)

Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "the Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970. He was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baloch people</span> Ethnolinguistic group native to South Asia and Iran

The Baloch or Baluch are a nomadic, pastoral, ethnic group which speaks the Western Iranic Baloch language and is native to the Balochistan region of South and Western Asia, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. There are also Baloch diaspora communities in neighbouring regions, including in Central Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula.

<i>Sayyid</i> Nobility title in the Islamic world

Sayyid is an honorific title of Hasanids and Husaynids Muslims, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad's daughter Fatima and his cousin and son-in-law Ali.

Michael H. Hart is an American astrophysicist, author, researcher, and white separatist/white nationalist. Since 1978, he has published five books, most notably of the best-selling work, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nizam of Hyderabad</span> Historic monarch of the Hyderabad State of India

Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State. Nizam is a shortened form of Niẓām ul-Mulk, which means Administrator of the Realm, and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I when he was appointed Viceroy of the Deccan by the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar. In addition to being the Mughal Viceroy (Naib) of the Deccan, Asaf Jah I was also the premier courtier of the Mughal Empire until 1724, when he established the independent monarchy of Hyderabad and adopted the title "Nizam of Hyderabad".

Daʿwah is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is daʿwāt (دَعْوات) or daʿawāt (دَعَوات).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Deedat</span> Muslim thinker, orator and missionary from South Africa (1918–2005)

Ahmed Husein Deedat, was a South African and Indian self-taught Muslim thinker, author, and orator on Comparative Religion. He was best known as a Muslim missionary, who held numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as video lectures on Islam, Christianity, and the Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Mir dynasty</span> Muslim dynasty of Kashmir (1339-1561)

The Shah Mir dynasty was a dynasty that ruled the Kashmir Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. The dynasty is named after its founder, Shah Mir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam</span> Abrahamic religion founded by Muhammad

Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centered on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad, the religion's founder. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number approximately 1.9 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious population after Christians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi</span> Moroccan Islamic scholar, scholar, and jurist (1760–1837)

Abu al-Abbās Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Araishi al-Alami al-Idrisi al-Hasani (1760–1837) was a Moroccan Sunni Islamic scholar, jurist and Sufi, active in Morocco, the Hejaz, Egypt, and Yemen. His main concern was the revivification of the sunnah or practice of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. For this reason, his students, such as the great hadith scholar Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi, gave him the title Muhyi 's-Sunnah "The Reviver of the Sunnah". His followers founded a number of important Sufi tariqas which spread his teachings across the Muslim world.

The Quran is viewed to be the scriptural foundation of Islam and is believed by Muslims to have been sent down by Allah (God) and revealed to Muhammad by the angel Jabreel (Gabriel). The Quran has been subject to criticism both in the sense of being the subject of an interdisciplinary field of study where secular, (mostly) Western scholars set aside doctrines of its divinity, perfection, unchangeability, etc. accepted by Muslim Islamic scholars; but also in the sense of being found fault with by those — including Christian missionaries and other skeptics hoping to convert Muslims — who argue it is not divine, not perfect, and/or not particularly morally elevated.

Rahmatullah Kairanawi al-Hindi was a Sunni Muslim scholar and author who is best known for his work, Izhar ul-Haqq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan A. C. Brown</span> American scholar of Islamic studies (born 1977)

Jonathan Andrew Cleveland Brown is an American scholar of Islamic studies. Since 2012, he has served as an associate professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He holds the Alwaleed bin Talal Chair of Islamic Civilization at Georgetown University.

A marsiya is an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valour of Hussain ibn Ali and his comrades of the Karbala. Marsiyas are essentially religious.

<i>The Muslim 100</i> 2008 book by Muhammad Mojlum Khan

The Muslim 100: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of the Most Influential Muslims in History is a 2008 book, written by Muhammad Mojlum Khan and published by Kube Publishing, listing the biographies of the 100 most influential Muslims in history.

<i>The 500 Most Influential Muslims</i> Annual publication of influential Muslims

The 500 Most Influential Muslims is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world.

Muhammad Mojlum Khan is a Bangladeshi-born British non-fiction writer.

<i>Whos Bigger?</i>

Who's Bigger?: Where Historical Figures Really Rank is a 2013 book by the computer scientist Steven Skiena and the Google engineer Charles Ward which ranks historical figures in order of significance.

References

  1. 1 2 "Publisher: Hart Pub. Co". Open Library . Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Michael Hart, eBook, Biography - search". Open Library. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 Editors of LIFE (2016). LIFE 100 People Who Changed the World. Time Inc. Books. ISBN   9781618934710.
  4. Michael H. Hart The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. first published in 1978, reprinted with minor revisions 1992. ISBN   978-0-8065-1068-2
  5. Interview with Michael H. Hart by Russell K. Neili, April 14, 2000. Swain, Carol M.; Nieli, Russell K. (24 March 2003). Contemporary Voices of White Nationalism in America. Cambridge University Press. p. 201. ISBN   978-0-521-81673-1 via Google Books. I (like other white separatists) resent being called a white supremacist.
  6. Newsweek. Newsweek, Incorporated. 28 August 1978. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  7. Nduka, Otonti A.; Iheoma, E. O. (1983). New Perspectives in Moral Education. Evans Bros. p. 74. ISBN   9789781672279 . Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  8. 1 2 Alphonse Dougan, "Understanding Prophet Muhammad Beyond the Stereotypes", The Fountain , Issue 46 (April–June 2004).
  9. Deedat, Ahmed (2001). Muhammad, The Greatest. Islamic Presentation Committee. ISBN   9781471604416.
  10. Malik, Saeed (2009). A Perspective on the Signs of Al-Quran: Through the Prism of the Heart (2nd Edition October 2010 ed.). Booksurge. p. 112. ISBN   9781439239629 . Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  11. White, James W. (2014). Brief Christian Histories: Getting a Sense of Our Long Story. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 216. ISBN   9781630873059 . Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  12. McGoogan, Ken (1993-01-08). "What to do when your kid drives you crazy?". Calgary Herald . Archived from the original on 2019-08-04. Retrieved 2019-08-04 via Newspapers.com.
  13. Petersen, Clarence (1987-11-01). "Roger's Version, by John Updike (Fawcett/Crest, $4.95)". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on 2019-08-04. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  14. Yuan, Haiwang (2010). This is China: The First 5,000 Years. Berkshire Publishing. p. 35. ISBN   9781933782768 . Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  15. Freedman, David Noel; McClymond, Michael J. (2001). The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 676. ISBN   9780802829573 . Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  16. Benson, Garth; Glasberg, Ronald; Griffith, Bryant (1998). Perspectives on the Unity and Integration of Knowledge. P. Lang. p. 90. ISBN   9780820434872 . Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  17. Publishing, Pearson Custom (2000). Reasoning and Writing. Pearson Custom Publishing. p. 26. ISBN   9780536615022.
  18. Ultimate Reality and Meaning. Van Gorcum. 1994. p. 171.
  19. Science Digest. Science Digest. 1978. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  20. "Korea Now". Korea Herald . 32: 49. July 2003.
  21. Senior Scholastic. Vol. 111. Scholastic Corporation. September 1978.
  22. Books, Honor (2003). You Can Be a World Changer. David C. Cook. pp. 281, 284, 286. ISBN   9781562928070.
  23. Books in Print. Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10. R. R. Bowker Company. 1997. p. 3601. ISBN   9780835239356.
  24. Kosova, Hakan (2007). A Tribute to the Prophet Muhammad. Tughra Books. ISBN   9781597846028.
  25. [8] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
  26. Ramadan, Hisham M. (2006). Understanding Islamic Law: From Classical to Contemporary. Rowman Altamira. ISBN   9780759114340.
  27. Malik, Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam (1997). English Translation of the Meaning of Al-Qur'an: The Guidance for Mankind (English Only). The Institute of Islamic Knowledge. p. 21. ISBN   9780911119770 . Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  28. de_paul_legislation. IslamKotob. p. 5. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  29. Abbas, Syed Ghulam; Anis, Mir Babbar Ali (1983). The Immortal Poetry & Mir Anis: With the Versified Translation of a Marsia of Mir Anis. Majlis-e-Milli, Pakistan. p. XV. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  30. American Book Trade Association; American Book Trade Union; Book Trade Association of Philadelphia; Publishers' Board of Trade (1992). Publishers Weekly. Whitinsville, Mass. | R. R. Bowker Company. p. 156. ISBN   9780671793630 . Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  31. Fellner, Jonathan (1988-10-19). "Egyptian president to honor AACC astronomer for history". The Baltimore Sun . Archived from the original on 2019-08-04. Retrieved 2019-08-04 via Newspapers.com.
  32. Skiena, Steven; Ward, Charles (2013). Who's Bigger?: Where Historical Figures Really Rank. Cambridge University Press. p. 8. ISBN   978-1107041370. is probably the best known ranking of historic figures by influence.
  33. Michael H. Hart. A view from the year 3000: a ranking of the 100 most influential persons of all time; first published in 1999
  34. Nagel, Stuart S. (2001). Handbook of Policy Creativity: Creativity at the cutting edge. Nova Publishers. p. 14. ISBN   9781590330302 . Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  35. Humanity three thousand. Foundation for the Future. 2000. ISBN   9780967725239.