Fellow historians, please post your favorite men or women of history, and a short explanation of why.
i will start things off with a brief list.

Alexander of Macedon----what is there not to love? Brave, daring, driven, ambitious, curious, educated, noble, an adventurer, greatest military tactitian ever. Lived a life most of us only fantasize about. If someone were to make up this story, no one would believe it.

George Washington--truly the father of our country. Honest, hardworking, a gentleman whose own vanity would not permit him to fail. Had no enemies--none. "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Thomas Jefferson--has there ever been a man more farseeing, more revolutionary? Penned the most noble words ever written--"We hold these truths to be self-evident..." a radical idea even now. Often misunderstood, a spendthrift, he went broke over the Revolution, and couldn't afford to free his slaves. Had to sell his beloved library, thus founding the Library of Congress. Cared very little for politics--has on his tombstone his greatest achievements, self-penned. Being the third president is not one of them.

Abraham Lincoln---simply because his life was so sad. The ultimate American, rising from nothing. And at the moment of triumph, to be senselessly cut down. Lost his beloved mother at a young age, married to a crazy woman, lost a son, ridiculed and hated by half the nation, saw this country through her darkest hour and had he lived, would have lived up to his words--"with malice towards none."

Thomas Edison---made all of our lives a lot, lot easier. Nothing else to say.

Edward Jenner--what use are fancy gadgets if you're dead?

Ghenghiz Khan because he was a fascinating man and because he was the father of Ogadei and grandfather of Kubilai. I did my Master's thesis on the Golden Horde of Batu and Subedei under Ghenghiz's son Ogadei.

Götz von Berlichingen because he came from the immediate area where my family has lived since the 1400's and he he once told the Holy Roman Emperor to kiss his ass. He had his hand blown off when a cannon ball broke apart a caison and was fitted with one of the first prosthetic hands, earning the nickname Götz of the Iron Hand.

Frederich von Hohenstaufen, HRE Frederich II, known as Stupor Mundi. He was by far the most amazing ruler of his generation believing in religious tolerance, enlightened rule, supporting the arts and who was the author of one of the best treatises on falconry ever written.

Theodore Roosevelt a man who changed from a weak, spoiled child to an ourdoorsman who created the national park system and who projected American power onto the world stage.

Red Skelton

George C

Richard P

Adam S

Benny H

Monty P

Those that can make us laugh do way more then those that go to war?

Benny, the Python troupe, Clem Kadiddlehopper, maybe Pryor, okay, but Carlin and Sandler, strictly second tier.

Gen. Omar Bradley.

Michelangelo Buonarotti.

Pieta.

Nikolai Tesla is a fascinating individual. The advances he made in electrical engineering and science had much more to do with the modern world than Edison ever did. Also, his feud with Edison and dealings with such individuals as J.P. Morgan are fascinating.

An interesting topic, but difficult to answer. History is riddled with all manner of intriguing figures, and I have a difficulty picking out a select few from the crowd. The prominent philosophers and religious figures, Locke, Aristotle, Gautama, Voltaire. The great men of science and technology, Galilei, Newton, Edison. The poets and musicians, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Dickens, Mozart, Dickinson. The warriors of the business world, Rockefeller, Ford, Welch. Political masterminds, Marx, Hitler, Hammurabi, Akbar. Military warriors such as Ghengis Khan, Alexander, and hundreds if not thousands of many other people could join these lists. Why? Because they have left lasting marks on civilizations around the world, making advances in their fields and expanding human thought, technology, and expression. Thomas Jefferson proved a wise figurehead to lead the birth of a nation, Saladin got invaders from his homeland and was hailed for centuries to come, Einstein made theories and discoveries that lead into modern day science and mathematics, and Jesus of Nazareth, arguably the most influential figure in all of history, has left more than a few marks on our course through time. Those are some of my favorites, and then of course there is me. Why me? Why not? And sedan, the Pieta is perhaps my favorite artistic piece, at least statue.

A random sample of my favorites: Marquis de Sade, Leonardo Da Vinci, Izaac Newton, Epicurus, Cao Cao (of the Three Kingdom period).

Ugh...I wish I can list some hot women in hisotory. But almost all painted historic women look plain or ugly. They are made to look hot only in today's movies.

I have limited interest in political or military figures.

Yes, the real Cleopatra and Catherine the Great were kinda homely women but that certainly did not hold them back!

PS My son loves Cao Cao--mostly from playing that "Dynasty Warriors" game.

Admiral Lord Nelson.

He was an inspiration to the men who served under him, he was great naval hero, who gave his life for his country.

Originally posted by jemma
Admiral Lord Nelson.

He was an inspiration to the men who served under him, he was great naval hero, who gave his life for his country. Nelson's message to the Fleet at Trafalgar was "England expects that every man shall do his duty." From a lesser man these bland words would have fallen flat. From Nelson? The crews cheered him wildly. He wasn't asking of them anything that he wouldn't ask of himself. A truly great leader.

George Patton: we could use him now to whip these lilly livered liberals into shape and then he could end this war with a few massive strikes.

Darth vader: awsome leader, cant say no to him!

Major General Smedley Butler (http://lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm) - told it like it was
Mark Twain - Told it like it was
John Brown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist)) Slave revolts and the Harpers ferry raid