Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 29, 2015 I like it. Thank you. "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" David Livingstone - Explorer One of the reasons I filled my Explorer category so soon was to take guys like this as talk show guests. I think we can get a lot more mileage out of the explorer category than would appear on the surface. There's a natural crossover, a guy like Livingstone makes for a first rate guest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,945 Posted October 29, 2015 This guy could easily fit in the religious leader category, but I'm gonna put him in as an adviser: I actually don't believe he was anything special as either a religious leader or adviser, but I want him on my team anyway. He was poisoned, beaten and shot, but still refused to die. Finally thrown in a river and eventually drowned. This guy was a hard out. Adviser: Rasputin More here: http://www.biography.com/people/rasputin-9452162#downfall Contempt for Rasputin grew among political rivals of Czar Nicholas. On December 29, 1916, a group of conspirators, including the czar's first cousin, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and Prince Felix Yusupov, invited Rasputin to Yusoupov's palace, and fed him wine and cakes laced with cyanide. But the poison seemed to have no effect. Baffled but not deterred, the conspirators repeatedly beat and finally shot Rasputin several times. He was wrapped in a carpet and thrown into the Neva River, only to be discovered three days later. An autopsy revealed that there was water in Rasputin's lungs at the time of his death, and it was concluded that he died by drowning. Russia and the imperial family had gotten rid of Rasputin, but not his influence. Shortly before his death, Rasputin wrote to Nicholas that if he were killed by government officials, the entire imperial family would be killed by the Russian people. His prophecy came true 15 months later, when the czar, his wife and all of their children were killed by assassins amidst the Russian Revolution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 30, 2015 Something to report. Yesterday I got a PM from 90sbaby, he asked me to run his FF team for a couple of weeks because his internet access is going to be really curtailed soon. Wasn't much in the message and he didn't mention the history draft. Didn't say what's up either. He said this would start early November so I thought I'd have some back and forth a bit but before then but he's now been gone for a few hours. I hope we hear from him and we try to figure out how to handle it. May have to freeze the draft for a bit. I still don't know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted October 30, 2015 We have lurkers. Why not just appoint a stand in owner? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 30, 2015 We have lurkers. Why not just appoint a stand in owner? I floated that idea to James after his PM but he's yet to respond. He'd said this'd start on the 3rd so maybe he's still around a few more days. If others like the idea we can roll with it, but I'd prefer getting his permission for something like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 30, 2015 I think we can skip 90sbaby. But if it gets stuck on him next time, it may well be stuck for a while. We need a chat on what to do. Go ahead vudu Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 31, 2015 Maybe 90sbaby is planning this vaction and taking vudu along Any now, with great pains, I announce bipolarbear has taken a top shelf candidate that I was hoping would help lead my effort to come back in the great woman category. Hypatia - Jack of all trades Goes to TBBOM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted October 31, 2015 Saint Augustine of Hippo - thinker Largely responsible for constructing the philosophical framework of the early Roman Catholic Church, I wrestled over putting him in the religious leader, philosopher, or writer category. I opted to go with thinker. His writings notably include City of God, The Confessions, The Enchiridion, On Christian Doctrine, and On the Trinity. he largely invented Christian theology and heavily influenced the development of western philosophy as well. I can't believe he's still here this deep in the draft. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 31, 2015 Vladimir Lenin - Statesman Sun Yat Sen - Statesman I may put Sun in Reformer yet. Lenin doesn't go in reformer since I'm much less keen on the reforms. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted October 31, 2015 I will select... Laozi - religious leader. Laozi (also Lao-Tzu or Lao-Tze) was a philosopher and poet of ancient China. He is known as the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching[1] and the founder of philosophical Taoism, and as a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. Although a legendary figure, he is usually dated to around the 6th century BCE and reckoned a contemporary of Confucius, but some historians contend that he actually lived during the Warring States period of the 5th or 4th century BCE.[2] A central figure in Chinese culture, Laozi is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern people of the Li surname as a founder of their lineage. Throughout history, Laozi's work has been embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.[3] I now have the founder of three of the six major religions. Dominating this category. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,945 Posted October 31, 2015 Reformer: Henry VIII Henry Tudor, son of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth York, was born at the royal residence, Greenwich Palace, on June 28, 1491. Following the death of his brother, Arthur, he became Henry VIII, king of England. He married six times, beheaded two of his wives and was the main instigator of the English Reformation. His only surviving son, Edward VI, succeeded him after his death on January 28, 1547. More here: http://www.biography.com/people/henry-viii-9335322 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,945 Posted October 31, 2015 Explorer(s) Lewis and Clark 8000 miles by horseback, boat and on foot. That's a helluva trip into the unknown. They blazed the trail, and set the wheels in motion for the U.S. to conquer the west. Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, who with William Clark led the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the uncharted American interior to the Pacific Northwest in 1804–06. He later served as governor of Upper Louisiana Territory. The Lewis and Clark Expedition spanned 8,000 mi (13,000 km) and three years, taking the Corps of Discovery, as the expedition party was known, down the Ohio River, up the Missouri River, across the Continental Divide, and to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis served as the field scientist, chronicling botanical, zoological, meteorological, geographic and ethnographic information. Lewis, Clark, and the rest of their expedition began their journey near St. Louis,Missouri, in May 1804. This group – often called the Corps of Discovery by historians – faced nearly every obstacle and hardship imaginable on their trip. They braved dangerous waters and harsh weather and endured hunger, illness, injury, and fatigue. Along the way, Lewis kept a detailed journal and collected samples of plants and animals he encountered. Lewis and his expedition received assistance in their mission from many of the native peoples they met during their journey westward. The Mandans provided them with supplies during their first winter. It was during this time that expedition picked up two new members,Sacagawea and Touissant Charbonneau. The two acted as interpreters for the expedition and Sacagawea, Charbonneau’s wife and a Shoshone Indian, was able to help get horses for the group later in the journey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 31, 2015 Hate to break it to you, Lewis and Clark are gone already at 34.3. One of Bear's most memorable write ups. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,945 Posted October 31, 2015 Ok, Magellan didn't actually completely circumnavigate the globe. The better documented honourees seem to be the few remaining crew of the Victoria and its captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano. This ship was the only vessel from the expedition to return to Spain after their trip around the globe. It landed on September 6, 1522 about three years after their initial departure, with just 18 men on board out of the initial 241 or so that set out on the journey. So, give me Juan Sebastian Elcano - Explorer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BiPolarBear 495 Posted October 31, 2015 "Alright, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." Is it my turn, Volty? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted October 31, 2015 When I took Magellan, I took Elcano as well as collaborator. And Bear, yeah, actually this is your pick so go. Are you guys OK with freezing the draft or would you rather we find someone to fill in for two weeks? Also I was under the impression this would start November 3rd but it seems 90sbaby's absence has already begun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BiPolarBear 495 Posted November 1, 2015 When this guy heard he had been picked as the sexiest man alive, he released more photos for all of us to fawn over. I think that was very generous of him. http://www.theonion.com/article/kim-jong-un-named-the-onions-sexiest-man-alive-for-30379 This guy is first round talent picked up for cheap in the middle rounds. Kim Jong Un - Dumb Focking Moron p.s. I hope he liked the movie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted November 1, 2015 I vote we appoint a replacement. No way this survives a two week hiatus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 1, 2015 Bear agrees with you TBBOM. I'll try to find somebody to help out for two weeks or whatever. I don't know if we're four days in or not. Vudu still has a pick too since Elcano was a collaborator when I took Magellan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iam90sbaby 2,720 Posted November 1, 2015 George W Bush (conqueror) - During George W. Bush‘s eight-year, two-term presidency of the U.S.A, the “war on terror” was waged on real land, regardless of how ephemeral of a title it suggested. In retaliation to the September 11th attacks on American soil– the first of its kind since Pearl Harbor– the American Military mobilized en masse to extricate Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, though the link of him to nuclear weaponry or the 9/11 attacks was tenuous at best. Even though the extrication of Hussein was a boon, the war raged through the country before he was ever found. From there, the war spread across the middle east in an effort to eradicate terrorist cells and eliminate Taliban and Al Qaeda presences. It’s been nearly 13 years since the war on terror, or more accurately, the war in the middle east, began, and it’s become quite the quagmire over that time. Incredibly, so much ground has been covered during the invasions that George Bush lands at 10 as one of the greatest conquerors in history. Tran Hung Dao (general - strategical) - Under his command, Dai Viet (currently Vietnam) armies defeated 2 major Mongolian Invasions in 1285 and 1287. His victories over the mighty Mongol Yuan Dynasty under Kublai Khan are considerably the greatest military feats in world history with strategies of protracted people's war. David IV of Georgia (general - tactical) - In 1121 he, with his army of 55.000 men won against seljuks. Their army composed of 600.000 soldiers. The battle of Didgori is often regarded as battle of "miraculous victory". Before the battle David ordered his troops to block their way back addressing soldiers that they would either win or die there. Over 70 percent of seljuks were killed and rest were taken in prisoners. Nguyen Hue (general - tactical) - Nguyen Hue or King Quang Trung was very talent in war strategies and tactics. He moved fifty thousands soldiers from Hue to Ha Noi (more than 600km apart) on foot in 3 days in the year of late 1780. He defeated Chinese Tang's army in 200, 000 soldier in one day. He defeated Thai's invasive army of fifty thousands soldiers also in few hours in another occasion. He defeated French's navy without a warship. He never lost one battle in his whole life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 1, 2015 I see you meant it when you said November 3rd. But the loss of Internet seems to have begun a bit earlier. Well glad you're around; the Vietnamese were giving China fits long before the French and US. Vudu has two, I'm not sure he knows that. He's made a couple of picks that were doubles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 2, 2015 I just got a PM from 90sbaby, good news. He's going to try to get through. We won't have to freeze after all but expect some delays, his access is curtailed for the next bit. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 2, 2015 At 9:30 EDS Bear can go, so just under three hours. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,945 Posted November 2, 2015 It's hard for me to keep track of who's off the board since I've mostly been using my phone for the last few weeks. I've also brushed up on the bios of so many of these people since we started this that I can't recall if I read about them here or somewhere else. I'll try to make it to a laptop or desktop tomorrow to dig a little deeper. So apologies in advance if any of these guys are gone. I'll take 2 of the following explorers in this order. (If not already gone) In order of preference. Francis Drake. Edmund Hillary Roald Amundsen Ponce De Leon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 2, 2015 Hillary is gone too. You get Drake and Amundsen. To bear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BiPolarBear 495 Posted November 2, 2015 Hey I got a great idea, let's draft a history teacher in the Geek History Draft. It's kind of Zen. He may not give us the common perspective on history, but his words have a certain ring of truth to them. "If the gods had intended for people to vote, they would have given us candidates." Can I get an Amen? He wrote over twenty books with his "A People's History of the United States" used as an alternate view and assigned reading in many schools. He believed that you have to live your convictions and lost his jobs and got himself arrested. He was an activist for civil rights, women's rights, and a protester against war. "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." Howard Zinn - Reformer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BiPolarBear 495 Posted November 2, 2015 Another great history lesson and picks from 90'sbaby on historical figures I never heard of. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted November 2, 2015 Soren kirkegaard - philosopher Instrumental in fields such as Christian ethics, and one of the founders of the existentialist school. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 2, 2015 Immanuel Kant - Philosopher I don't have anything witty to say, I wasn't planning on picking him yet and have somebody else's name on the computer. This is a panic pick whose priority got bumped. With Kierkengard and Nietchzche both gone, I figured I'd best jump in the philospher category while the top shelf still exists. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek - Scientist (Microbiology) The father of microbiology. AvL wasn't so much a great intellectual of his day, he was an artisan who sold drapery and was a minor government offical in a small town. He'd developed a process to build microscopic lenses to look at his drapery threads. Then he started looking at other stuff. Now he wasn't trained in Latin or English or any other language other than his local Dutch dialect and never wrote any books. Although a bit intimidated to write, he was a businessman with little scientific, artistic or writing background, he was encouraged by a friend and wound up write lots of letters (560) including drawings of the things he saw under his microscopes and sent them to the Royal Society in London where they were tanslated and published all the way until he died at age 90. The time he described single cell organisms for the first time, they thought he was maybe off his rocker and pulling their legs and so a delegation was sent to investigate. He also created over 400 microscopes although the best quality one he always kept for himself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 2, 2015 Immanuel Kant (/kænt/;[1] German: [ɪˈmaːnu̯eːl kant]; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher, who is considered the central figure of modern philosophy.[2] Kant argued that fundamental concepts of the human mind structure human experience, that reason is the source of morality, that aesthetics arises from a faculty of disinterested judgment, that space and time are forms of our understanding, and that the world as it is "in-itself" is unknowable. Kant took himself to have effected a Copernican revolution in philosophy, akin to Copernicus' reversal of the age-old belief that the sun revolved around the earth. His beliefs continue to have a major influence on contemporary philosophy, especially the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political theory, and aesthetics. Kant in his critical phase sought to 'reverse' the orientation of pre-critical philosophy by showing how the traditional problems of metaphysics can be overcome by supposing that the agreement between reality and the concepts we use to conceive it arises not because our mental concepts have come to passively mirror reality, but because reality must conform to the human mind's active concepts to be conceivable and at all possible for us to experience. Kant thus regarded the basic categories of the human mind as the transcendental "condition of possibility" for any experience.[3] Politically, Kant was one of the earliest exponents of the idea that perpetual peace could be secured through universal democracy and international cooperation. The exact nature of Kant's religious ideas continue to be the subject of especially heated philosophical dispute, with viewpoints ranging from the idea that Kant was an early and radical exponent of atheism who finally exploded the ontological proof for God's existence, to more critical treatments epitomized by Nietzsche who claimed that Kant had "theologian blood"[4] and that Kant was merely a sophisticated apologist for traditional Christian religious belief, writing that "Kant wanted to prove, in a way that would dumbfound the common man, that the common man was right: that was the secret joke of this soul."[5] In Kant's major work, the Critique of Pure Reason (Kritik der reinen Vernunft, 1781),[6] he attempted to explain the relationship between reason and human experience and to move beyond the failures of traditional philosophy and metaphysics. Kant wanted to put an end to an era of futile and speculative theories of human experience, while resisting the skepticism of thinkers such as David Hume. Kant regarded himself as ending and showing the way beyond the impasse which modern philosophy had led to between rationalists and empiricists, and is widely held to have synthesized these two early modern traditions in his thought.[7] Kant argued that our experiences are structured by necessary features of our minds. In his view, the mind shapes and structures experience so that, on an abstract level, all human experience shares certain essential structural features. Among other things, Kant believed that the concepts of space and time are integral to all human experience, as are our concepts of cause and effect.[8] One important consequence of this view is that our experience of things is always of the phenomenal world as conveyed by our senses: we do not have direct access to things in themselves, the so-called noumenal world. Kant published other important works on ethics, religion, law, aesthetics, astronomy, and history. These included the Critique of Practical Reason (Kritik der praktischen Vernunft, 1788), the Metaphysics of Morals (Die Metaphysik der Sitten, 1797), which dealt with ethics, and the Critique of Judgment (Kritik der Urteilskraft, 1790), which looks at aesthetics and teleology. Kant aimed to resolve disputes between empirical and rationalist approaches. The former asserted that all knowledge comes through experience; the latter maintained that reason and innate ideas were prior. Kant argued that experience is purely subjective without first being processed by pure reason. He also said that using reason without applying it to experience only leads to theoretical illusions. The free and proper exercise of reason by the individual was a theme both of the Age of Enlightenment, and of Kant's approaches to the various problems of philosophy. His ideas influenced many thinkers in Germany during his lifetime, and he moved philosophy beyond the debate between the rationalists and empiricists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted November 2, 2015 Alfred Thayer Mahan - Nonfiction writer Alfred Thayer Mahan (September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) was a United States Navy admiral, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century."[1] His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide impact; it was most famously presented in The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783 (1890). The concept had an enormous influence in shaping the strategic thought of navies across the world, especially those of the United States, Germany, Japan and Britain, ultimately causing a European naval arms race in the 1890s which culminated in the First World War. His ideas still permeate the US Navy doctrine. Several ships have been named as the USS Mahan, including the lead vessel of a class of destroyers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iam90sbaby 2,720 Posted November 3, 2015 Guys I am going to be tapping out the next 5-6 days. Up late tonight I have a flight to catch tomorrow and I probably won't have much internet access. I ask that everyone takes their time when their turn is up because when I am back I would love to resume where I left off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted November 3, 2015 Guys I am going to be tapping out the next 5-6 days. Up late tonight I have a flight to catch tomorrow and I probably won't have much internet access. I ask that everyone takes their time when their turn is up because when I am back I would love to resume where I left off. Where the hell are you going that doesn't have internet? Antarctica? The international space station? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 3, 2015 I'm not worried about that so much. Some people don't go online for a fewdays, that's cool. I jsut wish you'd send me some names, maybe we can cut that 5-6 days down to 2 or 3 or (better yet) zero. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iam90sbaby 2,720 Posted November 3, 2015 Where the hell are you going that doesn't have internet? Antarctica? The international space station? Just some family matters that I have to attend to out of state. I will have limited internet access because my mind will mainly just simply be elsewhere. I just landed in Kentucky not to long ago and I think I will actually have time most days to post a few names to keep the draft moving along. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745 Posted November 3, 2015 Just some family matters that I have to attend to out of state. I will have limited internet access because my mind will mainly just simply be elsewhere. I just landed in Kentucky not to long ago and I think I will actually have time most days to post a few names to keep the draft moving along. Sounds like some kind of heavy sh!t. T&P man. Being from Tennessee myself, my sympath from having to spend time in that part of the country. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 4, 2015 It looks to me like he's staying with relatives and bumming time to use their computer. Although he has access, it's limited which makes it difficult to do research on the fly plus his heart's only partially in the draft as he has important family matters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voltaire 5,392 Posted November 4, 2015 Also, we can skip Bear. Vudu can go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vuduchile 1,945 Posted November 4, 2015 Generals and Conquerors get all the glory, but they'd all be dead in the water without the grunts on the ground and strong air support. These 2 guys fighting under Napoleon and Patton are a military force to be reckoned with. 1. Wild Card: Second Lieutenant Simo Häyhä, Finnish Army Simo Häyhä is the single most successful sniper in military history. Nicknamed the “White Death” for his totally white camouflage and eerie white mask he wore in combat, the Finnish marksman amassed at least 505 confirmed sniper kills during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. He recorded an additional 200 kills with a submachine gun. More amazingly, Häyhä recorded all of his sniper kills without using an optic. His Mosin–Nagant rifle was equipped only with iron sights. Häyhä died of old age in 2002, living to the age of 96. 2. Wild Card: The Blonde Knight, The Black Devil; Erich Hartmann A man who inspired many monikers from his enemies. Born in 1922 in Germay, he joined the Luftwaffe in 1940 and earned his pilot’s license in 1942. He became the most successful fighter pilot in aviation history. He’s credited with shooting down 352 allied planes over 1,404 combat missions – by far the most out of any pilot in history. Hartmann escaped WWII with his life, but was later accused of false war crimes. After completing his sentence he lived out his life first in the air force of the new state of West Germany, then as a civilian flight instructor. He died in 1993, at the age of 71. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites