Nelson Mandela has died.

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Jimmy Reid

[Otta]

Parkdrive Wrote:

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> Martin Luther King

Good call.

[????]

Bono....

[Otta]

Haha!

Bono, Geldoff and Chris Martin.

With Paul McCartney playing Hey Jude behind them.

[Otta]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/22830081

[Loz]

david_carnell Wrote:

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> Ghandi

> Mother Teresa

> Aneurin Bevan

Mother Theresa's politics were a bit iffy, to say the least. Bevan is pretty much unknown outside the UK.

I'd say only Mandela, Ghandi and maybe Einstein are true stratospheric greats in the last 100 years. Though Einstein was not a leader as such.

[david_carnell]

I wasn't really personally backing her btw, just a few that popped into my head. I don't even know what her politics are/were (my bad).

I would counter on Bevan, that just because his fame may not be great beyond these shores is no reason not to praise him.

[Otta]

I think Martin Luther King's influence went way beyond America.

[holloway]

RIP Madiba. A fine man. I'd add Mikhail Gorbachev's name to the list of top leaders, instrumental in the break up of the USSR. Also JFK of course.

[LadyDeliah]

Got to highlight the rank hypocracy of people like Cameron bigging up Nelson Mandella after his previous invovlvement in the pro-apartheid movement and posters with 'Hang Mandella' on them.

Good screen munch of a twitter convo here:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/file.php?20,file=116985

['bout now]

JFK in the same thread as Mandela?

Please don't.

Edited cos spilling is crop

[Louisa]

So few fall into the category of genuinely using their influence in making a difference. Be that in democracy, civil rights or culturally.

For me aside from Nelson Mandela,

Martin Luther King

Mahatma Gandhi

Anne Frank

Diana, Princess of Wales

Emmeline Pankhurst

Winston Churchill

All for very different reasons.

Louisa.

[*Bob*]

Can we at least try and spell his name correctly - amongst all the great respect and whatknot?

[david_carnell]

Diana?! Are you freaking kidding me?!

Churchill - he pioneered chemical warfare ffs!

I know you can be an utter WUM at times but this is just a piss take.

[*Bob*]

david_carnell Wrote:

> Churchill - he pioneered chemical warfare ffs!

.. and concentration camps - in South Africa, ironically

[StraferJack]

Anne frank. She wrote that one good book and then nothing...

[El Pibe]

:)

JFK my arse.

FDR, now that's another matter.

Churchill, well yes and no, but I'm inclined to feel that his will to resist nazism outweighs his black marks. A Britain that sued for peace would have made for a much darker world.

Steveo, perhaps, noone's sure but it probably was an accident, certainly doesn't count against the hundreds of thousands of lives he surely spared had he been more of an Assad mindset.

Perhaps even less famous than Bevan (and I'm inclined to agree with D_C again on that point*) butI'm going to add Bertrand Russell as one of the 20th century's greats.

*just cos le tis didn't wow a world cup, don't mean he weren't the best.

[El Pibe]

Churchill, just remembered the 2 million dead in Bangladesh, perhaps not then.

[Louisa]

Diana was an inspiration to a lot of people in her short life and she made a huge influence in the field of charity work especially bringing land mines to the public attention as well as hugging dying people suffering from HIV/AIDS at a time when many people in authority still shunned away from this tragic illness and it's impact on whole communities. So not I'm not 'kidding you'.

Anne Frank unwittingly has influenced the world in what was a terribly short life by exposing how hatred and oppression can be documented through the eyes of a child. Even today children learn about her short life in school, making the awful effects of nazism and fascism relevant through the eyes of a youngster.

Winston Churchill Grew up and took part in the British Empire, I'm not saying everything he did was relevant in respect of inspirational or greatness. But his influence on the United States was second to none in preventing what would have been annihilation for this country had he not been able to gain favour with the Americans during those dark early years of World War Two.

Louisa.

[El Pibe]

two...million...dead.....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_famine_of_1943

man made and churchill specifically ruled against remedial action

[*Bob*]

Forget about the two million already - he stuck it to the Jerries, that's what counts.

[El Pibe]

they don't like it up 'em apparently

[Otta]

Louisa Wrote:

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> as well as hugging

> dying people suffering from HIV/AIDS at a time

> when many people in authority still shunned away

> from this tragic illness and it's impact on whole

> communities.

Much as I wanted to smash my head against a brick wall during the weird outpouring of public grief following her death, I totally agree with this point, and don't think she gets the recognition from some quarters for the good stuff she did.

Not sure I'd personally have her on a list with Nelson though.

[El Pibe]

lets not forget all those wonderful domestic heroes who did so much to entertain us and raised so much for chariddy etc

People like Rolf Harri....oh, no, erm Jimmy Sa..aaaah mebbe not.

Stuart Hooorrr dear, erm

[El Pibe]

Nelson, kicked the french about, rasied awareness for gay rights!!