The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History (Paperback)

by Michael H. Hart (Author)
Key Phrases: United States, Soviet Union, Roman Empire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A list of the one hundred most influential people in history features descriptions of the careers, contributions, and accomplishments of the political and religious leaders, inventors, writers, artists, and others who changed the course of history. Simultaneous.

Product Details

• Paperback: 556 pages
• Publisher: Citadel; Revised edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806513500
• ISBN-13: 978-0806513508
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book and even fun if you don't agree with it, March 22, 2001

By	MISTER SJEM "sonofhotpie" (CALIF BAY AREA United States) - See all my reviews

First off, this book is not western european inclined, even though a great deal of influence on the world came from western europe according to the author.

18 are from the Asian area. 4 more from the African and South American areas.

The emphasis of this book is on the individual's influence. I ran this as a contest of sorts on a message board and here's some info to help you decide if the book might be interesting to you:

Here's the criteria so that you don't go off tangent:

(1) Look to how this person influenced the people around him, for good or bad, and also how it impacted later people.; (2) people who impacted their generation but not later ones in any sense got less of a ranking or far less; (3) this guy is pretty fair in giving rankings to non European types; (4) sometimes the person's goals weren't fulfilled but they did something indirectly that later became a big deal; (5) some did only one thing out of many, that may have looked small at the time, that ranked them on the list. (6) the uniqueness of the person is sometimes taken into account, meaning the event is unlikely to have happened without this person; and (7) some people build upon the ideas or methods of others so the first one will sometimes get more credit.

Here's a ranking of the types of professions to help a little:

SCIENTIESTS AND INVENTORS (37) POLITICAL AND MILITARY LEADERS (30) SECULAR PHILOSOPHERS (14) RELIGIOUS LEADERS (11) ARTISTIC AND LITERARY FIGURES (6) EXPLORERS (2)

Highly recommend this book. Even if you don't agree with it, it's thought provoking, unlike some History books, and might even make you come up with your own list.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contraversial, but a heck of a lot of fun....., January 18, 2001

By	goodoldmac "goodoldmac" (Charlotte, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

Anytime you start rating people (or anything else, for that matter), you are going to get some feedback (shall we say) from those who disagree with your rankings. Michael Hart rates those who,in his opinion, qualify as the 100 most influential people in history, not the greatest, or the smartest or the nicest, but the most influential. Impossible to get agreement on, but before you dismiss Hart's rankings, you should read his reasons...Reading over the list of names, it is easy to say, "Oh, that's nonsense!! What is he doing here?" But in these short bios, Hart tells you WHY he thinks this person belongs on the list, and his reasoning is well thought out, thought provoking and difficult to just dismiss. It is an interesting mental excerise to change his listing, then defend YOUR choice as clearly as Hart does, (and doing that is tougher than it sounds, by the way). Hart's book does exactly what a book of this nature should do, it makes us THINK and that fact alone qualifes it as an excellent book and one that should not be missed.....

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both Fun and Important, January 9, 2002

By	Missing in Action (Idaho Falls, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews

I first read this book nearly 10 years ago when a friend lent it to me. Since that time, I have referenced his "logic" in ranking the top 10 people (in particular) so many times that I had to buy the book for myself and my family. Many will disagree with Hart's ranking (Christians especially are often appalled that Jesus was ranked third behind Muhammed and Isaac Newton), but the reasons are so compelling that it might actually be a force for change!

Beyond that, this book is an exceptional little collection of mini-biographies of 100 influential people in history, and is a great reference book for families. My teenagers have been reading it and talking about it, and for that alone, it was worth purchasing! (Um...it's an excellent "Bathroom Book!")