Their names are carved in gold in history. They are not just outstanding people of our time, but key figures who shaped the trends of the 20th and 21st centuries. Thanks to them, we live exactly in such a world as it is, in all its manifestations.
Albert Einstein
He was recognized as the most important and significant personality of the past century. The largest physicist of the past century and the creator of the famous theory of relativity was born in the German town of Ulm on March 14, 1879. He worked for a long time to conquer the world and become famous. In 1921, he succeeded: Einstein was talked about on all continents. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, which later materialized in the form of the creation of a laser. He was the first to think that the distortion of space and time is a kind of gravity. All famous people of the world have influenced the formation of modern knowledge and ideas. And Einstein is no exception: the modern picture of the world is based on his theories.
The personality of the famous physicist attracted attention also because of his anti-war speeches. Making speechesat rallies, he constantly called for social reform and equality. But his communist ideas were often criticized. He even received death threats. Many envious sighed freely when, after the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, he was forced to permanently emigrate to the United States.
John Paul II
The gallery of photos of famous people in various encyclopedias is also decorated with a portrait of this great pope, who not only perfected the Catholic Church, but also, according to eyewitnesses, could work real miracles. In 2005, only with the help of prayer, he cured a woman from Parkinson's disease. Doctors could not give a scientific explanation for such a sudden healing. Previously, dad also cured a boy of leukemia with just one blessing and miraculously saved two girls.
John Paul was born in Poland, in Wadowice, on May 18, 1920. Like other outstanding people of our time, he had a brilliant career. At the same time, he went a long way from a simple seminarian to the highest post of the Vatican. He was elected pope in 1978. He was the first non-Italian on the throne in five centuries. Remaining in office for more than 26 years, he became a symbol of the era of the collapse of the communist regime in European countries. His merit also lies in the fact that, observing the canons of the Catholic Church, he introduced modern innovations into the church charter. Under him, Galileo, Copernicus and other scientists convicted by the Inquisition in the Middle Ages were rehabilitated.
Nelson Mandela
The most famous people of our timechanged the world for the better. And Nelson Mandela distinguished himself in this important cause as the most ardent fighter for human rights. He has become a symbol of the fall of apartheid, his deeds and exploits inspire human rights activists in all countries. Born in South Africa, Mandela witnessed racial discrimination for many years. And one day he decided to put an end to the dominance of whites over blacks. Nelson has always said that his ideal is a democratic society where people have equal rights and opportunities.
Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for his activities. But even while behind bars, he did not give up the purpose of his life. He did not agree to change his political views even in exchange for the desired freedom, for which he became the idol of millions of citizens not only in Africa, but throughout the world. He still got out of prison, already in 1990. Like all outstanding people of our time, having gone through difficulties, he set about making his dream come true with even greater zeal. Having become the President of South Africa, he overcame apartheid and settled all the differences in the country.
Bill Gates
The names of prominent people have entered our lives tightly: we study them at school, read books about them and watch films. About the activities of Bill Gates, our contemporary, there are no lectures yet, but it can be argued that in the near future more than one paragraph of the history textbook will be devoted to him. After all, he stands at the origins of the computer era. Back in 1975, the programmer and his colleague Paul Allen organized Microsoft Corporation. Being young, progressive and smart, they made their firm dominantin the software market.
In addition, Bill Gates was awarded the title of an honorary knight of the British Empire in 2005 for his charitable work. Together with his wife, they created a foundation that still allocates money to he alth care and education today. Already in 2006, Forbes magazine named him the richest man on the planet. Experts have estimated his fortune at $50 billion. Since then, he has consistently ranked at the top of various rankings, just like other successful 21st century celebrities.
Oprah Winfrey
Oddly enough, but this woman is the most influential not only in the US, but throughout the world. And all thanks to her world-famous show: the most famous people considered it an honor to take part in it and pour out their souls to Oprah in unique interviews. The program, which has no analogues, was broadcast from 1986 to 2011. For exclusive sharp questions, informative conversations and revealing interesting details from the life of pop stars, politicians, doctors and representatives of other spheres of life, Oprah was called the "queen of the media world".
She also became the richest black woman in the world with a net worth of $2.8 billion. Oprah has been named the most generous philanthropist on the planet. Some experts say that there is no more influential female person in the world, while others argue that her influence is limited only to the American states, and as for the world, then Angela Merkel should be given the primacy. In 2013, Oprah was awardedPresidential Medal of Freedom for supporting White House policies.
Coco Chanel
This little fragile woman had a bad temper, excessive causticity and a sharp tongue. Like all other outstanding people of our time, she destroyed stereotypes and introduced progressive innovations. In the fashion world, Coco has made a real revolution. She freed the fairer sex from tight corsets, heavy puffy skirts and twisted curls on her head, giving in return a little black dress, boyish haircuts and business trousers. It was Chanel who released a series of perfumes under her own name, which have no analogues in the whole world.
Photos of famous people dressed in fashion novelties from Coco, decorated at that time all the covers of popular magazines, printed in newspapers and broadcast on television. It was considered good form to imitate her. As for Chanel's expressions, there are whole legends about them. "If a woman at 30 is ugly, then she is a fool," is just one of Coco's famous phrases. In our century, her quotes have long become winged, and the fashionable novelties invented by her are relevant and insanely popular.
Andrey Sakharov
Probably, in the modern world there is no person who is unfamiliar with this name. The famous nuclear physicist, academician and Nobel Prize winner was born in Moscow in 1921. During his life, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor three times, conducted many tests and studies, played a decisive role in the creation of thermonuclear weapons in the Soviet Union.
Outstanding Russian people, being smart and progressive in their views, often opposed the current government and its beliefs. Sakharov was no exception. Being one of the "fathers" of the hydrogen bomb, he also turned out to be an ardent supporter of the prohibition of nuclear weapons. He often argued about this with Khrushchev, as a result of which he was removed from serious research work and joined the dissident movement. From the authorities, he demanded full transparency and observance of human rights. Sakharov advocated radical social and political reforms in the Union.
Maya Plisetskaya
She was painted by Marc Chagall, stage outfits for her were designed by Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent and other famous fashion designers. KGB agents considered her a professional spy for Great Britain and constantly monitored her. And she was just a prima, which had no equal in the whole world. The best choreographers in the world fought for the right to invite Maya to perform on stage. Plisetskaya shone in The Dying Swan, Carmen, Sleeping Beauty. And she endlessly reincarnated as Odette-Odile, because she had to dance this part more than 800 times.
Plisetskaya left the stage only at 65, although all ballerinas retire at 30. Until now, her beauty has not faded, despite the absence of plastic surgery. Her career did not prevent her from creating a strong family with the composer Rodion Shchedrin, with whom she even recently played goldwedding.
Of course, these are not all famous people in the world. Here are only vivid examples of unique celebrities who turned his lifestyle upside down. In fact, there were hundreds of times more of them, and each of their achievements changed our lives and decorated it with new colors.
