The Greatest Peoples In History
S D Rodrian
(ranked by their order of importance).
1. The Greeks (it's gotta be, hands down)
2. The Romans (both the Republican & Imperial)
3. The Jews (from the moment they appear in
history to yesterday & probably tomorrow).
4. The Italians (Western Civilization IS Italian
civilization in so many, many ways)
5. The Americans (Republican democracy put to
practice & made to work is one of the greatest
gifts ever given Western Civilization.)
6. The Fertile Crescent Civilizations (before they
were utterly destroyed by the Muslims--the
residues which survived of these civilizations
were remembered as the Islamic Golden Age).
7. The English (who gave the world a sense of
commonwealth, and brought to many nations
the ideals of fair play & their inheritance of
Roman law and Greek logic/reason).
8. The Aryans (who inherited the Roman Empire
and saved Europe from the Islamic Conquest).
9. The Hindus (whose many philosophies and
creeds influenced Western Civilization mostly
for the better).
10. The Chinese (who, in spite of their historical
xenophobia, contributed many things to
advance human civilization in arts & science)
11. The Ancient Egyptians (who, like the Chinese,
contributed many things to Western Civilization
in spite of themselves, perhaps even monotheism).
12. The Spanish (who conquered a "new" world
and made it an integral part of Europe).
13. The Russians (who saved Europe from many
invasions from Asia, even if just to save
themselves).
14. The French (whose Age of Enlightenment and
subsequent Revolution created the Modern
World).
15. The Japanese (ok, I've run out of "greatest
peoples").
NOTE: These are the greatest peoples in history,
NOT all the peoples of the world (ranked right off
the top of my head, which is inhabited by a very
questionable memory--yes, I forget the Cubans).
S D Rodrian
http://poems.sdrodrian.com
http://physics.sdrodrian.com
http://music.sdrodrian.com
David
terrific navigators. And they are still around...
"S D Rodrian" <s...@sdrodrian.com> wrote in message
news:44123499...@sdrodrian.com...
SDR
in Hawaii & elsewhere--and what we know of
their horrific experience in Easter Island is enough
to give you the willies about their lack of civilization
or even humanity. The fact that they spread like
the plague is NOT a very meaningful criteria at all.
SDR
> Of powerful civilizations, you left out the
> Arabians,
> the Mongols and the Turks.
"Greatest peoples" (i.e. "civilizations," if you
like), not the Vandals, or the Huns, of the Nazis,
certainly... or, for sure, the Islamic Conquerors...
who devastated what was a huge swath of Christian and
other ancient and thriving civilizations from North
Africa to Persia and India, then told the Europeans
that the bits of civilization they had plundered from
those subjugated civilizations (& somehow managed to
NOT destroy) was theirs originally (and many
illiterate Westerners continue to buy into this lie to
this day). SEE:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.poems/msg/1138bfa1c4479b79?dmode=source
> The Arabians must be included if the Jews are,
Our Western Civilization is also in large measure the
history of Jewish religious philosophies, both good
and bad (tolerance & intolerance). Not to mention a
small group of Jews who have contributed far in excess
of their numbers, from Jesus to Einstein. A Jew
remains the only human being worshiped as a god by a
huge portion of the world's population. Chances are
you yourself pray to this Jew as your personal God.
Surely that must counts for something.
Arabians gave the world a bean they found in Africa
(which when roasted turns into coffee). Can't think of
anything else that was original with them. From spoons
to the concept of the zero... everything the Muslims
passed off as their own was a theft/rape of other
peoples and cultures they eventually utterly,
completely destroyed ... leaving a swath of Muslim
nations/regions today (in what was once flowering
civilizations throughout the Fertile Crescent from
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.poems/msg/1138bfa1c4479b79?dmode=source
North Africa almost to India) barren and sterile,
frozen a thousand years behind the rest of the world's
history ... and still refusing to participate in the
progress of human civilization. And they are still
proudly pushing to extend that devastation to the rest
of the world. You are now warned. So everything you
get, from here on out, you certainly deserve.
David
"SDR" <sdro...@sdrodrian.com> wrote in message
news:1142078438....@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>I would have, but, let's face it... we met them
> in Hawaii & elsewhere--and what we know of
> their horrific experience in Easter Island is enough
> to give you the willies about their lack of civilization
> or even humanity. The fact that they spread like
> the plague is NOT a very meaningful criteria at all.
This was the criteria for all the other groups...
why pick on the Polynesians?
Re Rapanui- there were two cultures at work on Easter Island.
One was from mainland South America. So don't blame the Polynesians
for everything....
ahakoa he iti he pounamu
although it is small it is precious...
David.
Don
> "Tron" <tronf...@frizurf.no> noted:
>
> > Of powerful civilizations, you left out the
> > Arabians,
> > the Mongols and the Turks.
And what about the Scots? The greatest philosophers, bankers, traders,
politicians, medics and lawyers have all been Scots.
regards
Don (only half Scots!)
Leon
"Don" <D...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote >
>
> And what about the Scots? The greatest philosophers, bankers, traders,
> politicians, medics and lawyers have all been Scots.
Are you referring to the unwashed Caledonians? Name one in each category.
I think you mean the greatest .... have all drunk Scotch whisky.
Leon
SDR
But, is surfting THAT great a contribution to human
civilization?!
Sorry, but this is a list of the Greatest Peoples in
History (those who have made the GREATEST
contributions). Beach bums need not apply, and
no matter HOW far/fair they're surfed.
SDR
>S D Rodrian wrote:
>> The Greatest Peoples In History
>> (ranked by their order of importance).
>What is the criterion?
Which people have contributed the most
to our civilization (you can call it Western
Civilization, and you would only be partly
right, as Asia's and Africa's civilization IS
Western Civilization, where they are civilized).
> Why is there no reference to any Western
> Hemisphere aboriginals; e.g., Aztecs, Mayas, Incas,
> Hopi, Inuits.
Because stone-age people are not to be put on
a par with European Civilization (the Aztecs were
still cannibals when the Spanish(viruses) vanquished
them, for God's sakes). The fact that a culture
did not have nukes does not a noble people makes
of them.
> Why no reference to other tribal groups; e.g.,
> Australian Aboriginals, New Zealand Maoris?
Because painting your face with dirt & merde (who
knows what was in that dirt) does not contribute
all that much to human civilization. Next question.
> This list is obviously devised by someone who is
> living a sheltered life. All the best, GH
You are absolutely correct. It is absolutely
devised by someone who is living a life sheltered
by civilization... and who therefore wishes to
rank/thank the peoples who have contributed
(the most) to sheltering him!
LIST RECONSIDERED:
Previously I included the Japanese as a joke,
but since no one "got" the joke, I have extirpated
them from the list (their "culture" is basically a
Chinese import--even the Koreans were much more
civilized by the 17th Century--the Japanese remained
barbarians up until they were conquered by the
Americans, and "trained" to join the civilized world"
after WWII).
I also reconsidered the order of the bottom few, and
believe the following order is closer to the truth:
The Greatest Peoples In History
(ranked by their order of importance).
1. The Greeks (it's gotta be, hands down)
2. The Romans (both the Republican & Imperial)
3. The Jews (from the moment they appear in
history to yesterday & probably tomorrow).
4. The Italians (Western Civilization IS Italian
civilization in so many, many ways)
5. The Americans (Republican democracy put to
practice & made to work is one of the greatest
gifts ever given Western Civilization.)
6. The Fertile Crescent Civilizations (before they
were utterly destroyed by the Muslims--the
residues which survived of these civilizations
were remembered as the Islamic Golden Age).
NOTE: This definition does not go back all the
way to the origins of agriculture/writing (albeit
perhaps it should), as it then becomes extremely
hard to trace which civilization gave rise to
which (the "originals" being disputed among
the Fertile Crescent peoples and the Asians).
7. The English (who gave the world a sense of
commonwealth, and brought to many nations
the ideals of fair play & their inheritance of
Roman law and Greek logic/reason).
8. The Aryans (who inherited the Roman Empire
and saved Europe from the Islamic Conquest).
These are, strictly-speaking, the non-Italian
Gauls, Allemani, Goths, Franks, Visigoths,
Ostrogoths and other German tribes which
took over the remnants of the Western Roman
Empire, culminating with Charlemagne, et al.
9. The Hindus (whose many philosophies and
creeds influenced Western Civilization mostly
for the better). These include the Buddhists,
etc.
10. The Chinese (who, in spite of their historical
xenophobia, contributed many things to
advance human civilization in arts & science)
11. The Ancient Egyptians (who, like the Chinese,
contributed many things to Western Civilization
in spite of themselves, perhaps even monotheism).
12. The French (whose Age of Enlightenment and
subsequent Revolution created the Modern
World).
13. The Spanish (who conquered a "new" world
and made it an integral part of Europe).
14. The Russians (who saved Europe from many
invasions from Asia, even if just to save
themselves).
S D Rodrian
Karla
>You are absolutely correct. It is absolutely
>devised by someone who is living a life sheltered
>by civilization... and who therefore wishes to
>rank/thank the peoples who have contributed
>(the most) to sheltering him!
"When Israel was in Egypt愀 Land:
Let my people go.
Oppress悲 so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go."
What? Who do you think built the pyramids?
What? Who do you think worked in the fields, the factories, the assembly
lines, the fast food restaurants?
The most? You don't even see them.
Karla
SDR
> And what about the Scots?
Stubborn refusal to be civilized is NOT the criterion
for getting into the list. The Scots fought the Romans
tooth & nail to avoid being civilized. And then fought
the English tooth & nail (teeth & nails were the only
weapons they had beside B.O. and a penchant for
painting themselves blue to make their enemies think
they were crazy I suspect)... fought the English tooth &
nail to avoid being civilized but the English won out
(which is another reason the English ARE on the list).
The Scot were such marvelous barbarians that the
English hired the survivors into their army (and it was
mainly savage Scots who won the battles in India and
South Africa, etc.)... but even to this day it gnaws at
the English (who see themselves as "the true heirs to
the Roman Empire," after all) that the Scots held out
for so long.
> The greatest philosophers, bankers, traders,
> politicians, medics and lawyers have all been Scots.
Maybe, but in the same sense that none of the Americans
were really "Americans" except Jim Thorpe: By the time
Locke & gang were making headlines THEY WERE ENGLISH
(which is another reason the English ARE on the list)...
David
> I'll grant you the Polynesians were marvelous surfers.
> But, is surfting THAT great a contribution to human
> civilization?!
>
> Sorry, but this is a list of the Greatest Peoples in
> History (those who have made the GREATEST
> contributions). Beach bums need not apply, and
> no matter HOW far/fair they're surfed.
it was the Hawaiians who invented surfing
and they were only a small part of polynesia.
(worth a mention in its own right)
But they were also great navigators-
saw the light of the Pacific long before Magellan
and Vasco da Gama
Dennis M. Hammes
>
> You are absolutely correct. It is absolutely
> devised by someone who is living a life sheltered
> by civilization... and who therefore wishes to
> rank/thank the peoples who have contributed
> (the most) to sheltering him!
>
Rhine Maidens.
Elves with Rings of Power.
Licensed, registered Baby Killers.
Yah, I didn't think so.
You're all about Thanking the English for reinventing cannibalism so
that you can eat in your absolutely sheltered playpen.
"/Etranger, allez, ditez aux Spartaigns/..."
--
-------(m+
~/:o)_|
/Addo, ergo sum/.
http://scrawlmark.org
SDR
>>>What is the criterion?
SDR answereth:
>>Which people have contributed the most
>>to our civilization (you can call it Western
>>Civilization, and you would only be partly
>>right, as Asia's and Africa's civilization IS
>>Western Civilization, where they are civilized).
Gordon sneered:
> You are right, of course. On closer reading of the
> subject, The Greatest Peoples in History, the early
> Western Hemisphere peoples are precluded because
> their "history" didn't begin until the fifteenth
> century when the first immigrants came.
SDR reiterates, giving Gordon the benefit of doubt:
"Nein! Nein! It is not a list of ALL the peoples who
have ever been (in history). It is a list of the
people who have contributed the most to civilization!"
The proper point(s) of contention should be which
"contributions" have been the most significant,
thereby justifying or invalidating the rankings.
You, Gordon, have proposed some (below) and I
have endeavored to give my opinion upon them.
And, although I did not think much of the things
you proposed (this is true) I still applaud your
having proposed something! Hurrah for you!
>>>>Why is there no reference to any Western
>>>>Hemisphere aboriginals; e.g., Aztecs, Mayas,
>>>>Incas, Hopi, Inuits.
>>Because stone-age people are not to be put on
>>a par with European Civilization...
Gordon yawned sarcastically:
"Of course not. They had no written language and they
were egalitarian, sharing with others. They also
weren't materialistic. They were also primarily
matrilineal. What losers! Without greed, lust, envy
and pride, what good could they be?"
SDR, his heart in his sleeve, tried again:
Monsieur, it is NOT a list of the biggest momma's
boys in history, nor a list of the most socialistic or
Bolshevistic folk ever, nor even a list of the most
Christian/Buddhist pacifists... NOR a list of the
"best chaps & gentlemen" in history but a list of the
people who have contributed the most to civilization.
As an example perhaps, Wagner was one of the most
horrific racist bastards who ever lived, but his
contributions to the music of Western Civilization are
surpassed only by half a dozen others, if that many.
>>...(the Aztecs were
>>still cannibals when the Spanish(viruses) vanquished
>>them, for God's sakes). The fact that a culture
>>did not have nukes does not a noble people makes
>>of them.
Gordon tried to look wise & knowledgeable:
>I am no pre-history scholar of the Americas, but am
>familiar with some of the writings around the issues
>of human sacrifice and cannabalism in the Western
>Hemisphere's pre-history. Since there are no written
>records and western scientists approached these
>cultures with a European society mindset, there is
>considerable controversy surrounding much of the
>evidence.
SDR tried to further Gordon education:
Try the accounts of the Spanish who found the Aztecs
ripping out the hearts of their vanquished enemies
atop their pyramids then kicked the bodies down the
"steps" to waiting crowds with butchering knives &
bowls & bags ready to take "the best parts" home for
the evening meal--You will not see this in any of your
liberal texts as the reason the horrified Spaniards
forbade any further sacrifices and instead damn the
Spanish for imposing their Imperialistic European
religion on the "innocent noble savages," of course.
> For a modern study of the issue, in one volume, I
> recommend "The Rise and Fall of America's Indians:
> From Pre-history through Geronimo" by William
> Brandon. It is the best work I have found covering
> most tribal groups from the Inuits of the North to
> the Incas of the South from the beginning of
> cultural evidence through the end with Geronimo's
> exile to Florida.
SDR did not wish to poo-poo Gordon's lovely
illustrated coloring book out of hand:
First: Does it tell the story of history, or does it
"interpret" history?
"Momma mia!" SDR thought to himself:
"Culture, culture, culture..." All chimpanzees have
cultures; and even the gorillas in zoos have been
found to have a wealth of cultures. What's "culture"
then in a human sense? Is "hot dogs" a proper
definition of America's culture? All mankind shares
a culture of eating, crapping, dressing, killing,
sleeping, farting, et al. The incidentals are really
meaningless--if you tell me that the ancient Maya
ate "this or that" ... is that really anything to
celebrate the Maya about?!?!?!? (I think not.)
Civilization, in the end, may be like porn: "I may
not be able to define it, but I'll know it when I
see it."
>>>>Why no reference to other tribal groups; e.g.,
>>>>Australian Aboriginals, New Zealand Maoris?
>>Because painting your face with dirt & merde (who
>>knows what was in that dirt) does not contribute
>>all that much to human civilization. Next question.
Gordon tried to finesse himself into being taken
seriously:
"If your definition of human civilization has to do
with the development of science and technology, but if
your view is toward how you treat humankind, you may
want to reconsider."
SDR tried to finesse himself into a ham sandwich:
Look, we are all the same animal. Don't kid yourself
(because you're only kidding yourself): We all treat
people the same way--we push and we push back.
The differences are in how much we can push or
push back. If the cannibals would have had the guns
they would have eaten the lot of us. The "indians"
were the first to attack the Spanish, but the thing
we remember is how they were slaughtered by the
Spanish. If the technologies of weapons would have
been reversed, then perhaps we might now remember
the Spanish as much more nobly. Who knows? (I do.)
This is the true horror of a "Dark Ages" Iran with
nukes: Imagine a Dark Ages Pope suddenly given
the power of nuclear weapons--Who among us could
possibly imagine that such a Pope would refuse to
"bring Salvation of mankind" even if it had to cost
a few nuked stubborn enemies of God here & there?
USE THY BRAIN AND TREMBLE!
>>>>This list is obviously devised by someone who is
>>>>living a sheltered life. All the best, GH
>>You are absolutely correct. It is absolutely
>>devised by someone who is living a life sheltered
>>by civilization... and who therefore wishes to
>>rank/thank the peoples who have contributed
>>(the most) to sheltering him!
Gordon closed his eyes & dreamt of the South Pacific
and a happy beach bum under a palm:
"Again, depending on your definition of civilization.
I prefer the more humanitarian society."
SDR closed his eyes and dreamt of his childhood:
Me too! My momsy and my dadsy were just such a
"humanitarian society." They sacrificed themselves
for me. But ever since then ... I have found myself
living amongst unforgivable bastards. (And, of course,
I have returned them all their bastardies in kind...
perhaps adding a little above the payback as payback.)
THIS IS WHY civilization matters: Because that's
what we are without it... unforgivable bastards
all. You can say that civilization is our
acknowledgement that we must bind ourselves to some
principles OTHER than those of our instincts. And
anything that contributes to civilization I
applaud, anything that diminishes it or destroys it
I condemn.
This is the point of the list: To celebrate those
who have done the most for civilizing of man (and,
of necessity, this obviously demands a ranking).
You may claim primitive cultures have better instincts
but I say onto you--history proves it's just NOT the
case: History proves primitive (uncivilized) societies
either just don't have the means to devastate both
themselves and their environments OR they do it
(Easter Island... perhaps the whole of the lush world
that existed where now lies the Sahara desert, et al).
Get out of your funk, Gordon. Go back to the list
(which is a simple proposition): Which people
contributed the most to human civilization. Period.
I posted it for debate as to whether you agree
with my rankings or you have some ranking other
than mine in mind. Always happy to hear from you,
LIST RECONSIDERED:
Previously I included the Japanese as a joke,
but since no one "got" the joke, I have extirpated
them from the list (their "culture" is basically a
Chinese import--even the Koreans were much more
civilized by the 17th Century--the Japanese remained
barbarians up until they were conquered by the
Americans, and "trained" to join the civilized world
after WWII).
I also reconsidered the order of the bottom few, and
believe the following order is closer to the truth:
The Greatest Peoples In History
(ranked by their order of importance).
1. The Greeks (it's gotta be, hands down)
2. The Romans (both the Republican & Imperial)
3. The Jews (from the moment they appear in
history to yesterday & probably tomorrow).
4. The Italians (Western Civilization IS Italian
civilization in so many, many ways)
5. The Americans (Republican democracy put to
practice & made to work is one of the greatest
gifts ever given Western Civilization.)
6. The Fertile Crescent Civilizations (before they
were utterly destroyed by the Muslims--the
residues which survived of these civilizations
were remembered as the Islamic Golden Age).
NOTE: This definition does not go back all the
way to the origins of agriculture/writing (albeit
perhaps it should), as it then becomes extremely
hard to trace which civilization gave rise to
which (the "originals" being disputed among
the Fertile Crescent peoples and the Asians).
7. The English (who gave the world a sense of
commonwealth, and brought to many nations
the ideals of fair play & their inheritance of
Roman law and Greek logic/reason).
8. The Aryans (who inherited the Roman Empire
and saved Europe from the Islamic Conquest).
These are, strictly-speaking, the non-Italian
Gauls, Allemani, Goths, Franks, Visigoths,
Ostrogoths and other German tribes which
took over the remnants of the Western Roman
Empire, culminating with Charlemagne, et al.
9. The Hindus (whose many philosophies and
creeds influenced Western Civilization mostly
for the better). These include the Buddhists,
etc.
10. The Chinese (who, in spite of their historical
xenophobia, contributed many things to
advance human civilization in arts & science)
11. The Ancient Egyptians (who, like the Chinese,
contributed many things to Western Civilization
in spite of themselves, perhaps even monotheism).
12. The French (whose Age of Enlightenment and
subsequent Revolution created the Modern
World).
13. The Spanish (who conquered a "new" world
and made it an integral part of Europe).
14. The Russians (who saved Europe from many
invasions from Asia, even if just to save
themselves).
The first coupla picks are always easy, it's the
bottom/last few that are always the hardest...
Who were the three greatest composers? Well, the first
two are easy: Bach, Beethoven, and... Would you say
Mozart and leave out Brahms? Tchaikovsky? Schubert?
Verdi? Wagner? Surely you could never leave out
Mozart! But if you include Mozart you must leave out
somebody--
Don
"Leon" <words...@att.net> wrote in message
news:hlVQf.13063$8w2....@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> "Don" <D...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote >
> >
> > And what about the Scots? The greatest philosophers, bankers, traders,
> > politicians, medics and lawyers have all been Scots.
>
> Are you referring to the unwashed Caledonians? Name one in each category.
>
Philosophers: David Hume, Duns Scotus, Adam Ferguson, John Abercrombie,
Robert Adamson, Robert Balfour, Thomas Brown, Gershom Carmichael, Alexander
Campbell Fraser, Thomas Reid, David George Ritchie, George Croom Robertson,
Adam Smith (also wrote a major work in Economics), Dugald Stewart, James
Hutchison Stirling,
Banker: William Paterson (founded the Bank of England in 1694). There are
too many other important financial insurance and actuarial figures to
detail.
Traders: William Jardine and James Matheson set up the famous Jardine
Matheson company.
Politicians: (of today) Tony Blair, David Cameron, Menzies Campbell (i.e.
leaders of all the three UK main political parties. And many others today.
(historically) William Adam, Sir William Stewart, Andrew Fletcher of
Saltoun, James Clinkskill, Charles Grant, Thomas Francis Kennedy, George
Lockhart, John Campbell Loudoun, William Lyon Mackenzie, Charles Thomson
Ritchie. Many of these politicians were also lawyers.
Medics: Arthur Conan Doyle, David Livingston (also an explorer), John Bell,
Jospeh Bell, Robert Liston (first to use anaesthetics publicly), Joseph
Lister (pioneer of antiseptics), Sir James Wylie, Sir William Fergusson,
John Brown, Charles Maitland (vaccinations), William Leishman (perfected the
typhoid vaccine), Sir Patrick Manson (traced parasitic diseases to biting
insects), Sir Alexander Fleming (discovered penicilin), Ephraim McDowell,
James Young Simpson (Pioneer of anaesthesia) Dugald Baird (Pioneer of
maternity and neonatal care) ...
Lawyers: Sir George Mackenzie, Sir Richard Maitland, Henry Glassford Bell,
George Joseph Bell, David Dalrymple, James Dalrymple (Lord Stair), The Hon
Henry Erskine ...
Also the following names could be mentioned as notable Scots - you are bound
to have heard of quite a lot of them::
Robert Adam - Architect
David Allan - Scottish Painter
Archibald Alison - Scottish author
William Aytoun - Scottish poet
John Logie Baird - Inventor of television
Robert Michael Ballantyne - Scottish writer of fiction
J. M. Barrie - Novelist and playwright
Andrew Baxter - Scottish metaphysician
Sawney Bean - Cannibal
David Beaton - Prelate and Statesman
James Beattie - Poet
Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor of the telephone
Henry Bell - Engineer and Pioneer of Steam Navigation
George Bennie - Inventor
William Blackwood - Publisher
William Garden Blaikie - Scottish divine
Hugh Blair - Scottish Presbyterian divine
James Boswall - writer, lawyer and biographer of Samuel Johnson
John Bradbury - Botanist
James Braid - Golfer
James Braid - Hypnosis
James Braidwood - Mining Engineer
John Broadwood - Piano manufacturer
Walter Bower - Scottish chronicler
Andrew Kennedy Hutchison Boyd - Scottish author
Sir David Brewster - Scottish natural philosopher
Deacon Brodie - Thief
Alexander Crum Brown - Professor of Chemistry
John Brown - Royal retainer in the court of Queen Victoria
William Speirs Bruce - Polar explorer
Alexander Buchan - Meteorologist
George Buchanan - Scholar
John Buchan - Lawyer, Writer and statesman
Robert Burns - Poet
William Burrell - Shipping magnate and art collector
Richard Cameron - Covenanter
George Campbell - theologian
Henry Campbell-Bannerman - Prime Minister
John Campbell - Scottish author
John Francis Campbell - Gaelic scholar
John McLeod Campbell - Scottish theologian
Donald Cargill - Covenanter
Thomas Carlyle - Essayist and historian
Andrew Carnegie - Industrialist and philanthropist
Bonnie Prince Charlie - Stuart restoration
Hugh Clapperton - Explorer
Jim Clark - World champion racing driver
Thomas Cochrane - Naval commander
Alicia Cockburn - Ballad writer
Lord Cockburn - Judge
William Collins - Publisher
St Columba - Missionary
Sean Connery - Actor
Billy Connolly - Comedian, Entertainer, Actor
James Connolly - Rebel leader
James Crichton - Prodigy
A. J. Cronin - Writer
R. B. Cunninghame Graham - Traveller, writer
David Dale - Industrialist and philanthropist
Thomas Dalyell - Soldier
Lord Darnley - Second husband of Mary Queen of Scots
James Dewar - Inventor of the vacuum flask
John Dewar - Spirit merchant and distiller
Robert Dick - Naturalist
Thomas Dick - Scottish writer on astronomy
Donald Dinnie - Athlete
Sir James Donaldson - Scottish classical scholar
Alexander Douglas - Hebraist
David Douglas - Botanist
James Douglas - Commander in Wars of Independence
Sir Hugh Dowding - Air Chief Marshall
Arthur Conan Doyle - Writer
Thomas Drummond - Inventor and administrator
William Drummond - Poet
William Dunbar - Poet
John Dunlop - Inventor of the pneumatic tyre
Thomas Edward - Natural Historian
Ebenezer Erskine - Scottish divine
James Fergusson - Scottish writer on architecture
Saint Fillan - Scottish Saint
Andrew Findlater - Scottish editor
John Ritchie Findlay - newspaper owner
Walter Hood Fitch - Illustrator
Alexander Fleming - Discoverer of pennicillin
Sir Sandford Fleming - Engineer and publicist
Archibald Forbes - War correspondent
Duncan Forbes of Culloden - Scottish statesman
James David Forbes - Scottish physicist
Bill Forsyth - Film-maker
Andrew and Robert Foulis - Printers and publishers
James Baillie Fraser - Traveller and author
James Frazier - Anthropologist
John Gau - Scottish translator
William Ged - Inventor of stereotyping
Andrew Geddes - Scottish painter
Sir Archibald Geikie - Scottish geologist
James Geikie - Scottish Geologist
Walter Geikie - Scottish painter
Lewis Grassic Gibbon - Writer
St Giles - [Egidius]
Hugh Glass - Fur Trader
Neil Gow - Fiddler
Thomas Graham - Scottish chemist
James Grahame - Scottish poet
Anne Grant - Scottish writer
James Grant - Novelist
James Augustus Grant - Scottish explorer
Sir James Hope Grant - General
Robert Grant - Astronomer
John Grierson - Film-maker
Douglas Haig - First World War commander
Alexander Chinnery-Haldane - Minister
Patrick Hamilton - Lutheran martyr
Keir Hardie - Socialist and labour leader
Matthew Forster Heddle - Scottish mineralogist
Hamish Henderson - Songwriter
Thomas Henderson - Astronomer
Sir John Hepburn - Scottish Soldier
David Octavius Hill - Painter and photographer
James Hogg - Writer
Daniel Home - Scottish spiritualist
John Home - Scottish dramatic poet
John and William Hunter - Anatomists
James Hutton - Founder of modern geological science
Elsie Inglis - Medical reformer and suffragette
Edward Irving - Pentecostalist
Leander Starr Jameson - Colonial statesman
John Paul Jones - Hero of War of American Independence and founder of the US
Navy
Captain Keay - Mariner
Francis Edward James Keith - Scottish soldier
George Keith - Scottish divine
George Keith - Viscount Elphinstone
Sir John Scott Keltie - Scottish Geographer
Thomas Francis Kennedy - Scottish politician
Walter Kennedy - Scottish Poet
Captain Kidd - Pirate, adventurer and merchant
Sir John Kirk - Naturalist
Sir William Kirkcaldy - Of Grange
John Knox - Protestant reformer
Robert Knox - Anatomist
William Laidlaw - Friend of Sir Walter Scott
Alexander Gordon Laing - Scottish explorer
David Laing - Scottish antiquary
Malcolm Laing - Scottish historian
Samuel Laing - Scottish author and railway administrator
MacGregor Laird - Scottish merchant pioneer
Harry Lauder - Entertainer
Sir Thomas Lauder - Scottish Author
William Lauder - Scottish literary forger
John Law - Scottish economist
Robert Lee - Scoto-Catholic
Robert Leighton - Minister
Alexander Leslie - Scottish General
David Leslie - Scottish General
John Lesley - Scottish bishop and historian
Sir John Leslie - Scottish natural philosopher
Eric Liddell - Athlete and missionary
Robert Lindesay - Scottish historian
Sir Thomas Lipton - Scottish merchant
Robert Liston - Scottish surgeon
William Lithgow - Scottish traveller and writer
Clement Litill - Advocate
David Livingstone - Missionary and explorer
George Lockhart - Scottish writer and politician
John Gibson Lockhart - Scottish writer and editor
Sir William Lockhart - General
John Logan - Scottish poet
Robert Lorimer - Architect
John Campbell Loudoun - Scottish politician
David Lyndsay - Poet and playwright
King Malcolm III - King of Scotland
John McAdam - Road builder
Kenneth MacAlpin - First King of Scotland
Kenneth II - Son of Malcolm I., king of Alban
James McCosh - Scottish philosophical writer
Macbeth - King of Scots
Malcolm MacColl - Scottish clergyman
William McCombie - Scottish agriculturist
Thomas McCrie - Historian and Divine
Horatio MacCulloch - Artist
Hamish MacCunn - Composer
Hugh MacDiarmid - Poet
Flora Macdonald - Jacobite heroine
George Macdonald - Writer
Sir Hector Macdonald - Soldier
Hugh Macdonald - Bishop
John Macdonald - Canadian statesman
Ramsay MacDonald - First Labour Prime Minister
James MacDonell - Scottish journalist
Sorley Boy MacDonnell - Scoto-Irish chieftain
William MacEwen - Pioneer of neurosurgery
William MacGillivray - Naturalist
William McGonagall - Poet tragedian - perhaps the worst ever poet
Rob Roy Macgregor - Outlaw and adventurer
Charles MacIntosh - Inventor of waterproof materials
Charles Macintosh - Perthshire Naturalist
Hugh Mackay - General
Sir Alexander Mackenzie - Explorer
Alexander Mackenzie - Statesman
Alexander Campbell Mackenzie - Composer
Compton Mackenzie - Writer
William Lyon Mackenzie - Politician
Charles Rennie Mackintosh - Architect, and artist
Ian Maclaren - Author
Colin Maclaurin - Scottish mathematician
Henry Normand McLaurin - Doctor
George MacLeod - Founder of the lona Community
Henry Dunning Macleod - Scottish economist
J. J. R. Macleod - Co-discoverer of insulin
Norman Macleod - Scottish divine
William Maclure - Geologist
Daniel and Alexander Macmillan, Publishers
Sir Daniel MacNee - Painter
Hector MacNeill - Scottish poet
James Macpherson - Scottish " translator " of the Ossian poems
Sir Richard Maitland - Lawyer and Poet
William Maitland - Scottish Statesman
St Margaret - Saint and Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots - Queen of Scots
James Clerk Maxwell - Physicist
James McCosh - Scottish philosophical writer
Henry Dundas Melville - Statesman
Sir James Melville - Scottish diplomat
Archibald Menzies - Botanist
Hugh Miller - Geologist
Tom Morris - Golfer
James Douglas, Earl of Morton - Scottish statesman
John Muir - Ecologist, botanist and conservationist
John Muir - Scottish Orientalist
Sir William Muir - Scottish Orientalist
St Mungo - Patron saint of Glasgow
Sir Thomas Munro - Scottish Soldier
Sir Willam Mure - Scottish Writer
Sir Robert Murray - a founder of the Royal Society
Lady Nairne - Songwriter
John Napier - Discoverer of logarithms
Alexander Nasmyth - Painter
James Nasmyth - Scottish engineer
St Ninian - Missionary and saint
St John Ogilvie - Catholic martyr
Margaret Oliphant - Writer
John Boyd Orr - Nutritionist
Mungo Park - Explorer
Willie Park - Golfer
Sir Joseph Paton - Scottish Painter
Allan Pinkerton - Founded Pinkerton Detective Agency
John Playfair - Scottish mathematician
Robert Pont - Scottish reformer
John Rae - Scottish Arctic explorer
Sir Henry Raeburn - Artist
Allan Ramsay - Scottish poet
Allan Ramsay - Artist
Robert Ramsay - Australian statesman
William John MacQuorn Rankine - Scottish engineer
Sir Robert Gillespie Reid - Canadian railway contractor
John Rennie - Scottish engineer
James Renwick - Scottish covenanting leader
John Richardson - Businessman
David Roberts - Scottish painter
Sir John Ross - Arctic explorer
Michael Scott - Wizard
Walter Scott - Writer
Alexander Selkirk - Castaway/Robinson Crusoe
William Young Sellar - Scottish classical scholar
Sir Robert Sibbald - Scottish physician and antiquary
Sir John Sinclair - Writer on Finance
J. Scott Skinner - Dancer
Mary Slessor - Missionary
Samuel Smiles - Social reformer
Colvin Smith - Scottish portrait-painter
George Smith - Whisky distiller
Madeleine Smith - Alleged poisoner
Tobias Smollett - Writer
John Snell - Founder of the Snell exhibitions
John Spottiswoode - Archbishop of St Andrews
The Stevenson Family - Engineers
Robert Louis Stevenson - Lawyer and Writer
James Stirling - Scottish mathematician
William Stirling-Maxwell - Scottish man of letters
Sir Robert Strange - Scottish line engraver
Robert Tannahill - Poet and weaver
Thomas Telford - Engineer and bridge builder
Charles Tennant - Chemist
Alexander ' Greek ' Thomson - Architect
William Wallace - Patriot
Captain John Watson - Whaler
Robert Watson-Watt - Pioneer of radar
James Watt - Pioneer of the steam engine
Sir Daniel Wilson - Archaeologist
George Washington Wilson - Photographer
Robert Wodrow - Scottish historian
James Young - Discoverer of paraffin
Vindicatio?
regards
Don
Don
> "Don" <D...@yahoo.co.uk> cried:
>
> > And what about the Scots?
>
> Stubborn refusal to be civilized is NOT the criterion
> for getting into the list.
Aye, the Scots are stubborn but civilised too.
regards
Don
Peter J Ross
rec.arts.poems:
> "Leon" <words...@att.net> wrote in message
> news:hlVQf.13063$8w2....@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>>
>> "Don" <D...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote >
>> >
>> > And what about the Scots? The greatest philosophers, bankers, traders,
>> > politicians, medics and lawyers have all been Scots.
>>
>> Are you referring to the unwashed Caledonians? Name one in each category.
>>
>
> Philosophers: David Hume, Duns Scotus, Adam Ferguson, John Abercrombie,
> Robert Adamson, Robert Balfour, Thomas Brown, Gershom Carmichael, Alexander
> Campbell Fraser, Thomas Reid, David George Ritchie, George Croom Robertson,
> Adam Smith (also wrote a major work in Economics), Dugald Stewart, James
> Hutchison Stirling,
>
> Banker: William Paterson (founded the Bank of England in 1694). There are
> too many other important financial insurance and actuarial figures to
> detail.
>
> Traders: William Jardine and James Matheson set up the famous Jardine
> Matheson company.
>
> Politicians: (of today) Tony Blair, David Cameron, Menzies Campbell (i.e.
> leaders of all the three UK main political parties. And many others today.
> (historically) William Adam, Sir William Stewart, Andrew Fletcher of
> Saltoun, James Clinkskill, Charles Grant, Thomas Francis Kennedy, George
> Lockhart, John Campbell Loudoun, William Lyon Mackenzie, Charles Thomson
> Ritchie. Many of these politicians were also lawyers.
Alec Douglas-Home seems to be missing. This list of non-entities needs
to be strengthened with a Prime Minister whose reputation for probity
is a lot beter than Tony Blair's.
<...>
> Also the following names could be mentioned as notable Scots - you are bound
> to have heard of quite a lot of them::
<...>
> William Dunbar - Poet
And is Robert Henryson quite forgotten?
<...>
And me, of course.
PJR :-)
--
Have you been touched ___ ___ Hammer of Thor, Jan 2006
by His noodly / _ \ / _ \
appendage? ( (_) )( (_) ) Pierre Salinger Memorial
\_ _/ \_ _/ Hook, Line & Sinker, Dec
STOP GLOBAL __ _.-\\----//--._ 2003 & May 2005
WARMING _ / _\___.-'/ _| / _\ /\/\`-._.-.__ _
NOW, (_\_)| \___ ||_ ((_ //\/\\ _.-._ \-' ) AHM Wittiest
JIM LAD! \__) __) | _| _) ) || || (_ \_.-' Troll of the
/_-. || \_/ || .-'-.\ Year, 2003
http:// _._// / .--._______.-'\ \ \\__._ 2004 & 2005
www. /_._/ \ \ )) \__._)
venganza (/ _.-') ( `-._ wsd 42 ~ mhm 34x8
.org/ (_.-' :F_P: `--._) smeeter 30 ~ mwpl 12
The Highlander
wrote:
That's no problem - Harold MacMillan, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and
imminently, Gordon Brown, etc. etc.
Game, set and match to the original poster, I should say and good luck
to the illiterate idiot who could ask such as question, thereby
admitting that he didn't even know the answer!
><...>
>
>> Also the following names could be mentioned as notable Scots - you are bound
>> to have heard of quite a lot of them::
>
><...>
>
>> William Dunbar - Poet
>
>And is Robert Henryson quite forgotten?
>
><...>
>
>And me, of course.
>
>PJR :-)
>--
>Have you been touched ___ ___ Hammer of Thor, Jan 2006
>by His noodly / _ \ / _ \
>appendage? ( (_) )( (_) ) Pierre Salinger Memorial
> \_ _/ \_ _/ Hook, Line & Sinker, Dec
>STOP GLOBAL __ _.-\\----//--._ 2003 & May 2005
>WARMING _ / _\___.-'/ _| / _\ /\/\`-._.-.__ _
>NOW, (_\_)| \___ ||_ ((_ //\/\\ _.-._ \-' ) AHM Wittiest
>JIM LAD! \__) __) | _| _) ) || || (_ \_.-' Troll of the
> /_-. || \_/ || .-'-.\ Year, 2003
>http:// _._// / .--._______.-'\ \ \\__._ 2004 & 2005
>www. /_._/ \ \ )) \__._)
>venganza (/ _.-') ( `-._ wsd 42 ~ mhm 34x8
>.org/ (_.-' :F_P: `--._) smeeter 30 ~ mwpl 12
The Highlander
Faodaidh nach ionann na beachdan anns
an pòst seo agus beachdan a' Ghàidheil.
The views expressed in this post are not
necessarily those of The Highlander.
Dennis M. Hammes
Jean Redpath -- entertainer
Don
news:slrne1c4g...@nntp.alcatroll.com...
> Alec Douglas-Home seems to be missing. This list of non-entities needs
> to be strengthened with a Prime Minister whose reputation for probity
> is a lot beter than Tony Blair's.
Agreed.
> And is Robert Henryson quite forgotten?
> And me, of course.
Regrettably, I couldn't include everyone. But I take your point. We Scots
are just too famous, successful and civilised to be excluded from the
appelation "the greatest peoples in history". For a small nation, it is
quite an achievement.
regards
Don