page_title: Historical figure
section_title: Ranking
hierarchical_section_title: Historical figure / Significance / Ranking
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Crucifixion by Jacob Jordaens
context_page_description: A historical figure is a famous person in history, such as Catherine the Great, Abraham Lincoln, Robert the Bruce, Henry VIII, George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Louis XIV, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Henry Ford, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Robert McNamara or Napoleon.
  The significance of such figures in human progress has been debated. Some think they play a crucial role, while others say they have little impact on the broad currents of thought and social change. The concept is generally used in the sense that the person really existed in the past, as opposed to being legendary. However, the legends that can grow up around historical figures may be hard to distinguish from fact. Sources are often incomplete and may be inaccurate, particularly those from early periods of history. Without a body of personal documents, the more subtle aspects of personality of a historical figure can only be deduced. With historical figures who were also religious figures attempts to separate fact from belief may be controversial.
  In education, presenting information as if it were being told by a historical figure may give it greater impact.
context_section_description: There have been rankings of the significance of major historical figures.  For example, Cesar A. Hidalgo and colleagues at the MIT Media Lab has calculated the memorability of historical figures using data such as the number of language editions for which there are articles for each person, the pageviews received, and other factors.  These lists are available at MIT's Pantheon  project.
caption: The crucifixion of Jesus, the founder of Christianity, painted by Jacob Jordaens in the 17th century.
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