# Humanities & Anthropology > History & Civilisations >  In your opinion, who are the greatest Britons?

## Zauriel

Here are the names plucked from the Greatest Britons List on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Greatest_Britons

Winston Churchill (1874–1965), Prime Minister during World War II 
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859), engineer, creator of Great Western Railway and other significant works 
Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), first wife of HRH Charles, Prince of Wales (1981–1996) and mother of Princes William & Harry of Wales. 
Charles Darwin (1809–1882), naturalist, originator of the theory of evolution through natural selection and author of The Origin of Species. 
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and playwright, thought of by many as the greatest of all writers in the English language. 
Sir Isaac Newton, physicist 
Queen Elizabeth I of England, monarch 
John Lennon (1940–1980), of The Beatles, musician 
Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, naval commander 
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector 
Sir Ernest Shackleton, polar explorer 
Captain James Cook, explorer 
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts 
Alfred the Great, King of Wessex 
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, military commander and statesman 
Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister 
Michael Crawford, actor 
Queen Victoria, monarch 
Sir Paul McCartney, of The Beatles, musician 
Sir Alexander Fleming, pharmaceutical innovator 
Alan Turing, pioneer of computing 
Michael Faraday, scientist 
Owain Glyndŵr, Prince of Wales 
Queen Elizabeth II, monarch 
Professor Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist 
William Tyndale, English translator of the Bible 
Emmeline Pankhurst, suffragette 
William Wilberforce, humanitarian 
David Bowie, musician 
Guy Fawkes, English revolutionary 
Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, aviator and charity organiser 
Eric Morecambe, comedian 
David Beckham, footballer 
Thomas Paine, political philosopher 
Boudica, leader of Celtic resistance to the Roman Empire 
Sir Steve Redgrave, Olympic rower 
Sir Thomas More, English lawyer and politician 
William Blake, author and printer 
John Harrison, clock designer 
King Henry VIII of England, monarch 
Charles Dickens, author 
Sir Frank Whittle, jet engine inventor 
John Peel, broadcaster 
John Logie Baird, television pioneer 
Aneurin Bevan, politician 
Boy George, musician 
Sir Douglas Bader, aviator and charity campaigner 
Sir William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland 
Sir Francis Drake, English naval commander 
John Wesley, Methodist leader 
King Arthur, semi-mythical Celtic monarch 
Florence Nightingale, nurse and charity campaigner 
T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), Arabist and soldier 
Sir Robert Falcon Scott, polar explorer 
Enoch Powell, politician 
Sir Cliff Richard, musician 
Alexander Graham Bell, telephone pioneer 
Freddie Mercury, of Queen, musician 
Dame Julie Andrews, actress and singer 
Sir Edward Elgar, composer 
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Queen consort 
George Harrison, of The Beatles musician 
Sir David Attenborough, broadcaster 
James Connolly, Irish revolutionary 
George Stephenson, railway pioneer 
Sir Charlie Chaplin, comic actor 
Tony Blair, Prime Minister 
William Caxton, English printer 
Bobby Moore, footballer 
Jane Austen, author 
William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army 
King Henry V of England, monarch 
Aleister Crowley, mystic 
Robert I, King of Scots 
Bob Geldof, Irish musician 
The Unknown Warrior, soldier of the Great War 
Robbie Williams, musician and former member of Take That 
Edward Jenner, pioneer of vaccination 
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd George, prime minister 
Charles Babbage, mathematician and pioneer of computing 
Geoffrey Chaucer, English author 
King Richard III of England, monarch 
J.K. Rowling, author 
James Watt, developer of the steam engine 
Sir Richard Branson, businessman and adventurer 
Bono, Irish musician 
John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), musician 
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, military commander 
Donald Campbell, water speed world record challenger 
King Henry II of England, monarch 
James Clerk Maxwell, physicist 
J.R.R. Tolkien, author and linguistics professor 
Sir Walter Raleigh, English explorer 
King Edward I of England, monarch 
Sir Barnes Wallis, aviation technology pioneer 
Richard Burton, actor 
Tony Benn, politician 
David Livingstone, missionary and explorer 
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, internet pioneer 
Marie Stopes, promoter of birth control

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## Zauriel

Dammit. I forgot to make it a multiple choice poll.

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## Maciamo

Sorry, there is no way to make a poll multiple choice once it's posted. Maybe it is better this way, so we don't choose half of them.  :Poh:

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## Zauriel

But you can edit polls, right? And by the way who, in your opinion is the greatest briton?

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## Maciamo

It was a difficult choice, but I voted for Churchill. I hesitated with Darwin and Shakeaspare, but Churchill probably had the biggest consequence on British society.

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## Duo

I agree for me churchill is top 1 as well... not only england but europe as well...and JK rowling i see not how she could be great...or even tolkien for tha matter...furthemore sean connery is scotish

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## Zauriel

I agree Churchill is great but I would go for Shakespeare. 


By the way, Duo, Scots are British, too. You don't understand the distinction between England and Britain. Britain isn't only England. Britain is composed of England, Wales, and Scotland. If you don't believe me, read the Britain article on the Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britain EDIT: Also, the British explorer David Livingstone who is on the 100 greatest Britons list is from Scotland, too.

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## Mycernius

You forgot Northern Ireland. The full title of the UK is The United Kingdon of Great Britain and Northern Island. Great Britain is the name of the Island on which England, Scotland and Wales are found. Incidently the first mention of a King of Great Britain was by James I in the title of the King James Bible, where he also styles himself as the King of France, a claim made by all monarchs of Britain until Victoria. Although the idea of King of Great Britain didn't really catch on until the 19th century after the act of union with Ireland.

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## Ma Cherie

I'd go for Shakespeare. I don't know about David Beckham, I just find him extremly attractive.  :Smiling:  

Sean Connery is a good actor but he hasn't done any good films lately.

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## Maciamo

I don't see wht we couldn't add Southern Irish who were born and lived most of their lives before the independence of the Republic of Ireland. They were British too. As we are at it, why not people born in former colonies before their independence ? Thomas Paine is regarded as British, isn't he, so why wouldn't Gandhi ? If it weren't for the British Empire, he wouldn't have lived both in South Africa and India...

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## Zauriel

Maciamo, I don't think Gandhi considered himself British. He would have preferred to be called Indian. I recall Thomas Paine was born and grew in England. 




> Sean Connery is a good actor but he hasn't done any good films lately.


But Sean Connery is the definitive James Bond actor. His portrayal of James Bond is legendary.

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## Mycernius

Actually you could call anyone born in Ireland, British, after all the Islands are called the British Isles not the country. A bit like calling anyone from the Americas, American being Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian etc.

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## Maciamo

> Actually you could call anyone born in Ireland, British, after all the Islands are called the British Isles not the country. A bit like calling anyone from the Americas, American being Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian etc.


I thought that the British Isles were Britain with the small islands around (Hebrides, Scilly...) and Ireland was not part of that. I often hear that the Irish (even northern) do not call themselves British and dislike being called this way.

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## Zauriel

The Irish have a long history of hate with English so they even confused British with English.

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## Sensuikan San

> It was a difficult choice, but I voted for Churchill. I hesitated with Darwin and Shakeaspare, but Churchill probably had the biggest consequence on British society.


I had a similiar problem between Churchill and Sir Isaac Newton.

Perhaps Newton actually was the _best choice offered_ but not such a charismatic character in more recent history.

The list could have been longer.

But just think - old Isaac _invented_ gravity!

If it weren't for him ... we'd all have floated away years ago ..... !



> I don't see wht we couldn't add Southern Irish who were born and lived most of their lives before the independence of the Republic of Ireland. They were British too. As we are at it, why not people born in former colonies before their independence ? Thomas Paine is regarded as British, isn't he, so why wouldn't Gandhi ? If it weren't for the British Empire, he wouldn't have lived both in South Africa and India...


I quite agree. Why not bring in folks like Shaw, Wilde, Brendan Behan _et al_? In truth - *and I'm not being facetious here* - one could most certainly include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and pretty well all of the founding fathers of the United States - who were _all_ British colonial subjects at the time. 


W

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## Sensuikan San

How the he11 did_ Boy George_ get on that list?

W

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## No-name

Isaac Newton also invented integral calculas...

I don't think you should include as British anyone who would not have considered him or herself British.

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## Maciamo

> Isaac Newton also invented integral calculas...
> I don't think you should include as British anyone who would not have considered him or herself British.


Well then we are limited to the last 200 or 300 years, as the concept of nationality didn't really exist in people's minds before that.

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## No-name

...or perhaps I should state in the negative: We shou exclude as British anyone who would have reasonably be expected to reject the label as British.

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## Chris

Given one of the options is King Arthur (in terms of defining Briton), I'd choose King Alfred the Great. At one time his kingdom was limited to a few square miles of the Somerset marshes, as the Danes advanced across what was left of his kingdom of Wessex. He prevailed, and ultimately pushed the Danes back, settling for the division of England between Wessex and Danish territory called "Danelaw". 

Had he not succeeded, English history would have turned out significantly different.

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## Jackson

It was a tough choice, but i decided to go with J.R.R Tolkien purely because i've grown up with his incredible work to some degree. Although he was part German i believe, still a Briton though.
I would otherwise have voted for Winston Churchill or (had he been included) King Alfred the Great as Chris above mentions - both are iconic figures that played a pivotal role in defending their nation (or notion of nation, in regard to King Alfred). In both cases, i think history would have been very different if either had failed as Chris rightly points out.
All have done a service, but i think without many of those in the political sphere, the artists and others we know and love may not have had a chance.

Kind Regards,
Sam Jackson

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## hope

There have been a lot of outstanding Britons through the years. However I go for James Simpson and John Snow for their pioneering work with anaesthetic. After all who wants to go for an operation without that? Also Sir David Henderson for the Royal Air Force.

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## Keegah

Not sure I understand the logic behind equating Britons - that is, Insular Celts - with Englishmen.

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## American Idiot

> How the he11 did_ Boy George_ get on that list?
> 
> �W����


that is what I would like to know too. He isnt great at all.... In fact, I dont know WTF he is!!! (LOL)



anyway, I wanted to choose King Henry the VIII, but he wasn't listed in the voting poll.

and one poster mentioned Alfred the Great.......also very good choice, IMO.

I vote for Johnny Rotten!

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