People who Changed the World in Politics: 1. Mahatma Gandhi - This guy is at the top of my list.

He popularized the non-violent movement. He stopped eating "sugar" only so he could tell a child to give up sugar. He sure lives by the phrase, "be the change you wish to see". 2. Queen Elizabeth I - Queen of one of the most successful monarchs, who defeated the Spanish Armada which laid the foundation for the British Empire. She probably did more to change the perception of what women can do than anyone else on the planet. 3. Augustus Caesar - This guy took the the first "Democratic Republic", the Roman Empire, to the big time (it was already big, partly thanks to his great uncle Julius). However, his focus was building "internal" strength which allowed technologies such as roads and agriculture to flourish. Technologies we still use today. 4. George Washington - First president of the United States, but who knew at the time what kind of country they were building. It went from a fragile country to the "800 pound gorilla" in 200 short years. 5. Nelson Mandela - He was a prisoner in South Africa and became the first black president in South Africa. Who would've thought a person sent wrongfully to prison could be a president. He's one of the most oppressed people who changed the world. 6. Abraham Lincoln - A president who fought to give the country heart. One of the most influential people that helped abolished slavery. 7. Winston Churchill - Outgunned, out manned he persevered against the Nazi war machine. Any person taking a stand against all odds has my handshake. 8. Anwar El Sadat - Third president of Egypt that took the country to a whole new direction of bringing power to the people. He knew there would be a good chance he would be assassinated for trying to bring peace in the region. 9. Martin Luther King Jr. - Greatly influenced by Thoreau and Gandhi for the non-violent movement. I couldn't imagine life before his influence. 10. Socrates - Considered to be the founder of western thought. He wasn't a political leader 'per se', but his influence is beyond measure. He was assassinated for just asking tough questions. People Who Changed the World in Technology: 1. Einstein - Reinvented 20th century physics with over 300 papers. He actually spent 10 years figuring out the Theory of Relativity (e=mc^2) and the paper was just 3 pages long. Definitely one of the smartest people who changed the world in science. 2. Sir Isaac Newton - Thanks to an apple falling from a tree, he came up with the law of gravity. Developed theories which became classical or Newtonian Physics. We still use his equations to this day. 3. Charles Darwin - Credited with the theory of Evolution. Who would've thought we evolved from apes? 4. Galileo Galilei - He is considered the "Father of Science". He went against the Catholic church for his ideas and was placed under house arrest. Amazing that his ideas actually came through. 5. Louis Pasteur - First to prove the Germ Theory, and invented the pasteurization process. Almost all of our milk has been cooked; we have him to thank for it. 6. Bi Sheng - Considered to be the inventor of paper. The invention was like the internet at the time. It allowed people to exchange and pass down ideas. Only thing is, the Chinese government banned the printing press at the time. To me, he's one of the most underrated people who changed the world. 7. Neils Bohr - discovered fundamental structure of the Atom which paved the way for quantum physics. I still remember the Bohr model discussed in my high school chemistry class. 8. Werner Heisenberg - The Nobel prize science winner for the foundations Quantum mechanics. Guys like him are the reasons we have computers. 9. Nikola Tesla - Best known for inventing the AC-Alternating Current, but also invented the radio. Competitor, Thomas Edison was probably a better 'businessman', but Tesla's standards is the one that prevailed for 'lighting the world' with alternating currents. 10. Sigmund Freud - A psychologist best known for his unconscious mind theories, which was later discovered to be composed of about 80% our brain.