Quick Questionnaire - 1 question. Name a famous figure from world history. - General

[b]Please use [url="https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dEF3OTk1MFFGOEE2Z3o4WjVGTXpjNkE6MQ"]THIS FORM[/url] to submit your answer. It will take you no longer than 10-15 seconds[/b] [i]Please do not post your answer below. I don't want people to be influenced by others answers. (Replying to say that you have submitted an answer is fine)[/i] The idea is very simple. I have a quick theory and a quick way to test it. Using the form above, name one famous person from world history. Anyone you want. The first person that comes into your head. [b][u]Please submit your answer before reading any more of the thread[/u][/b] so you give [i]your own[/i] answer. Thank you for participating, and please do not waste my time by abusing the form. [editline]7th March 2011[/editline] I will post results after I get a reasonable amount of responses. Hopefully I will get a quite interesting response. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Results & Explanation[/b] Last night I had a little think. Who my most memorable person in history? Who was the first person I thought of? Hitler. The name kept coming back to me, even when trying to think of other famous figures. I wanted to know how many others shared this opinion. What do you have to accomplish in your life in order to be remembered by future generations? Is it the good who are remembered? Or the evil? Lilolia hit the nail right on the head with this one. At this point in time, I have 30 responses to my question, a small sample, I admit, but it shows a clear trend. [img]http://gyazo.com/ab167abc29bef0c0f184b9924510cf40.png[/img] [release] 23% (7/30) - - - - -> Hitler 10% (3/30) - - - - -> Napoleon 6.7% (2/30) - - - - - > Leonardo DaVinci 6.7% (2/30) - - - - - > George Washington 6.7% (2/30) - - - - - > Winston Churchill All other choices got 1 vote each. [/release] [spoiler]The chart is slightly misleading, due to choices with only one vote making up around a third of the total. The % votes for Hitler was around 30-33% for the majority of the time, and only fell in the last hour due to the addition of many more figures (although they -and many others- deserve their place here.)[/spoiler] Does this surprise you? I didn't think so. Why do we think first of the ones who committed atrocities, and forget about those who bought good to the world? If you want to be remembered in this world, I suppose the best way is to kill ~15 million others :smith:

Anyone else?

How famous do they have to be?

What theory are you trying to prove?

[QUOTE=MountainWatcher;28477926]What theory are you trying to prove?[/QUOTE] Can't tell you yet [editline]7th March 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=MintyMginty;28477879]How famous do they have to be?[/QUOTE] Recognisable to most people. (World famous people, leaders, performers that kind of stuff. Well known around the World)

Answered.

I will create the history.

Answered, how exciting!

Thanks to everyone who has submitted so far, could do with a few more responses though. :smile:

Marie currie

I submitted [sp]Miguel de Cervantes[/sp]

Done.

There are going to be so many hitler answers.

I think my answer will be the most common.

If people picked Che Guevara, I'm gonna rage.

[QUOTE=Psycho_Shadow;28478731]There are going to be so many hitler answers.[/QUOTE] This. I'd guess the theory was something along the lines of that people who are famous for bad things are remembered much easier than people who did good things.

I picked Churchill

26 responses. Any more?

Lilolia's point makes sense. Maybe it's the other way around. Because saying that someone is famous is giving them a compliment, which you don't want to give to a bad person. My answer was [sp]G. Washington BTW, fairly common [/sp]

JFK just because we are studying him in history

[b]Results in OP[/b]

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;28478691]I submitted [sp]Miguel de Cervantes[/sp][/QUOTE] I seriously doubt that was the first one that came to your mind. You're not even spanish. Mine was a surprise to me, but still pretty common.

We remember th ones who did bad, because we had to work to right their wrong, we did not had to work to wrong Cervante's right. Hitler required action to be taken down, and the more you are active on something, the more you remember something. Which is why Stalin doesn't get such a reputation despite of all the evil he practiced, there was nowhere near as much action agaisnt him then there was agaisnt Hitler.

Hitler. We are also doing a Hitler unit in English so could be that.

I thought Caesar was going to get a better position.

Fidel Castro bitches.

[QUOTE=Vietnow;28480581][b]Results in OP[/b][/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Kindlinho;28478739]I think my answer will be the most common.[/QUOTE] Prediction successful.

Charlie Sheen. He's Famous, Right?

mine was George Washington

I chose Napoleon. Then again I see him as my role model.