1Nearly 28 million years ago, the first signs of a human being roaming the planet started showing with the speculations that modern humans originated from a species called Hominoidea, otherwise known as Great Apes. Then came the Homosapiens, Deandrethals and other species that eventually evolved together into what we are today. It wasn’t until around 70 thousand years ago when the intelligent human being came into the picture and a few thousand years after that, that people started documenting history and the evolution of our species in the world.
Each and every single one of us is a direct result of what first started 28 million years ago and each and every single one of us and those who preceded us, are an undivided part of the history we have written. There are very few individuals, however, who were able to entirely change the course of history and shed a light that would radiate for hundreds and thousands of years to come. People such as Martin Luther King Jr., Galileo, Einstein, Jesus Christ, Buddha, The Prophet, and many others.
Each one of these individuals, as well as many others, had at least one of the traits that make for this perfect world-shifting recipe: Humility, vision, kindness, courage, and concern for the follow man.
Some of them were humble enough to learn and accept criticism. Others were visionaries, seeing the world from a different perspective, defying what is socially acceptable and breaking barriers. Some were kind enough to accept others and help them through with nothing in return. They were courageous, waging wars against lords, kings and emperors to achieve what they deem right. They were individuals who cared about those around them, before caring about themselves.
This article will give a brief overview of some of the individuals who changed the world, and every week a new article will be uploaded, depicting that person and portraying why he or she was seen as one of the People Who Changed the World.
If you would like to add a contribution or suggest any other person, please do so in the comment section below.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)
Thomas Jefferson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, the author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third president of the states (1801 - 1809). His main contributions included writing the Statute for Religious Freedom back in 1777, being a ferocious fighter against devolved power as well as promoting liberty and democracy. In 1800, he tried to introduce a bill to end slavery, even though he used to be a slave owner himself. He had a partial success in 1807, 6 years after taking office, by signing a bill that bans importing slaves into US soil.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)
As one of America’s most ferocious civil rights activists, King was able to organize peaceful protests across the United States to promote equality between blacks and whites. King, along with several ministers, started the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which proved to be one of the main ingredients of the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1960s, the Black Power Movement took action in the US under the umbrella of several Black Nationalist groups generally, and more specifically and importantly by Malcolm X. Despite the physical abuse and oppression protesters were subject to, King’s main goal was to ensure peaceful and non-violent protests which were the corner stone of the success of his movement. One of his most spectacular speeches was the widely known “I have a dream” speech which had an astounding impact on over 250 thousand protesters who rallied in Washington D.C.
Jesus Christ (of Nazareth)
As a religious person, I will discard my religious views and describe this “person” as a spiritual leader rather than the Son of God. Due to the controversy of this topic, I kindly ask you not to interpret some of the terms that would be used in the wrong way. No offense is ever intended to any individual.
Born to a carpenter, Joseph, and Mary, Jesus was a spiritual teacher and leader whose main concern was spreading love, forgiveness and faith in the name of the Holy Spirit. His teachings led to the creation of Christianity, one of the major current religions. He is considered as an important prophet in Al-Quraan Al-Kareem, and his teachings are admired by both theists and atheists.
Al-Nabi Muhammad (The Prophet of Islam)
Born in Mecca, in the Year of the Elephant (570 AD) to Abd Allāh (Servant of God) and Āminah (Meaning someone who is safe to be around), the Prophet was a descendant of the powerful Quraysh tribe, the ruling tribe in Mecca. Muslims believe that in 610 AD, during a period of seclusion, Prophet Muhammad heard a voice while meditating and that voice said what would translate into, that says “You are the Messenger of Allah” which he later stated was the voice of the archangel Gabriel. His words came from the heart and were later on gathered in a holy book called “Al-Quran Al-Kareem” (or the Holy Quran). His preaching is known as “Al-Hadith”. He was able to unite most Arab tribes all the while Islam was on the rise, using his extraordinary character. It is told that he was both extremely gentle and harsh, and a man of generosity and selflessness.
Marie Curie (1867 - 1934)
Marie Curie was born in Poland and later became the laureate of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Physics. She was an expert in the field of Radioactivity, enabling the separation of isotopes for the very first time. Her relentless work and research enabled the use of X-Rays during WWI and she was later able to discover polonium and radium. It is worth noting that, as the first female professor at the University of Paris, she was able to break down many barriers for women in the world of science especially due to the discrimination women were subject to in the world of science and in society at the time.
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel (1883 - 1971)
Being the only designer to ever be listed in Time’s 100 influential people of the Twentieth Century, Coco Chanel brought patterns of simplicity and style into the world of fashion, revolutionizing it and leaving her own marks in it until today. She was also the first woman to ever wear pants in public.
